To hold on
by shi-chan
Summary: Mitsui and Koshino are being pulled together by innocent outings and little talks. But Mitsui fears for Koshino for reasons he does not understand. What is Koshino hiding? *Part 9 up*
1. Part 1

I do not own Slam Dunk or any of its characters. This is for fun only. If you do not like YAOI then refrain from reading any further.  
  
I've changed a few settings after the Ryonan IH match for the sake of the story. You've been told! Oh and there are a few surprising pairings and past relationships? ^^  
  
  
  
TO HOLD ON 1  
  
  
  
Mitsui stopped in the middle of the corridor of Shohoku high. It was the next day after their match for the ticket to IH with Ryonan. He felt tired, exhausted and totally dead to the world. His eyes fell on his left knee. There was a faint burning sensation and Mitsui felt fear bubble up inside him. He did not want another injury and the burning sensation, although very faint, scared the living daylight out of him.  
  
He sighed and continued to walk, his eyes still on his knee. Nope, it can't be that bad. Akagi wouldn't mind if he took the day off from practice. He needed to get his knee checked.  
  
*  
  
  
  
The hospital brought back memories that Mitsui had no wish of remembering. He headed directly to the Orthopedics department of the hospital to see Dr. Hajime. Mitsui saw the look of surprise on the doctor's face when he appeared. Hajime was a serious looking middle-aged man, with jet black hair combed back, a few bangs escaping, startling amber eyes that showed wisdom and a built that showed proof that he was a great athlete in his younger years. He was dressed in his white doctor's coat, black non-wrinkle pants, shiny black shoes, and a light blue polo shirt. His nametag was pinned on the left hand side on his chest.  
  
"Mitsui-kun? This is a surprise." Mitsui remained silent as the doctor scanned him up and down, and his eyes fell on his left knee.  
  
Mitsui cleared his throat. "There's a slight burning pain."  
  
Dr. Hajime nodded. "I'll have an x-ray done." Mitsui sat on the stretcher for the patients as Dr. Hajime left the room.  
  
The x-raying process took about twenty minutes. When it was done, Dr. Hajime showed Mitsui his knee. "Mitsui-kun, there is nothing wrong with your knee. There are no signs of it being put strain on, nor does it have any other complications." He meant cancer cells. "You're perfectly fine. May I suggest rest, since I understand that you had strenuous game yesterday. And milk. Milk helps Mitsui-kun."  
  
Mitsui sighed in relief. "I - I was just afraid."  
  
"I know." Dr. Hajime nodded in understanding. "But now you're assured. Take a break Mitsui-kun."  
  
"Thank you doctor." Mitsui could not help the grin from creeping up to his lips. Dr, Hajime simply patted him on the back and escorted him out of the orthopedics department. Mitsui walked on his won down the sterile green hall. He was relieved. Yeah, he was happy. Now he can lie back for a while.  
  
*  
  
Ayako had invited them over to her place for dinner and a peaceful night's chat after all the strenuous activity. The entire team happily agreed. It was when Miyagi spoke up that everyone's eyes fell on him.  
  
"Aya-chan?" He suddenly blushed. "Could I - could I bring Sendoh along?"  
  
Everyone's eyes nearly fell from its sockets. "No need to worry, Ryota. I've told Ryonan to come as well. We won't be seeing some of them for a long time. Uozumi-sempai is preparing dessert!" She beamed.  
  
That evening, a light cool breeze graced little Kannagawa. The boys from Ryonan and Shohoku were already in Ayako's large living room, talking and drinking Pepsi and 7up while playing a game of UNO. Miyagi and Sendoh were sitting on one couch, Miyagi on Sendoh's lap, while one of the Ace's arms was around his waist. Hikoichi and Kogure was sitting peacefully together, their hands entwined with each other. Rukawa was half asleep on Sakuragi's shoulder and Mitsui was sitting with his left knee close to his chest. Ikegami and Fukuda were staring at their own deck of UNO cards, while Koshino silently played a long; Uekusa was nodding towards Miyagi's direction, indicating that it was his turn to play. Ayako, Uozumi and Akagi were in the garden barbequing burgers, while Haruko and the Guntai prepared the burger buns and salad.  
  
"That's not fair!" Miyagi whined, as Uekusa set down a plus 4 card. "Why is it always me?"  
  
"Oh not to worry, Ryo-kun." Sendoh tightened his hold on the point guard's waist and leaned closer to whisper something to Miyagi's ears that caused the boy to blush redder than Sakuragi's hair.  
  
Miyagi remained quiet through out the game. The game went on and soon everyone was suddenly yawning. "Can't we do something else?" Sakuragi whined.  
  
Suddenly, Haruko popped in and called out loud. "Dinner everyone!"  
  
Everyone began to pick themselves up from their sitting position and followed Haruko to the garden. Wooden benches were set up and plates with burgers, salad and toffee apples were ready and waiting to be devoured. Everyone got their own plates and began eating underneath the starry skies, a few common conversations popping here and there. Mitsui secluded himself from the rest and sat underneath a tree in Ayako's garden. He failed to notice that someone was already there because he was in a world of his own. The boy was shorter and he looked extremely fragile. He had pale golden skin, dark eyes that held many secrets about him and luminous jet-black hair. He ate slowly, almost as if he wasn't eating at all.  
  
"Hey." Mitsui said finally. He noticed that it was Koshino and how the boy looked much thinner. They boy was skinny anyway. "You don't like junk food?"  
  
"It's all right." Koshino said, taking a small bite off his burger. "It's just that -" His eyes darkened for some unknown reason. "Nothing." He sighed and took some salad.  
  
Mitsui shrugged. "You have to eat you know. You're too skinny for your age. Don't you eat or something?" Koshino said nothing. "I'm just kidding okay?"  
  
Koshino forced a smile. "Yeah."  
  
The night went on and dinner was good. They all piled in to the house again and sat in a circle. Ayako made sure that they played spin the bottle. It was tradition at times like these when competition was not an issue. Everyone seemed okay and laughter erupted every now and then. Like when Youhei told Rukawa to do a duck dance and the fox-like boy obliged. Everyone laughed till their sides hurt, even Uozumi. There was an occasion when Sakuragi had asked Akagi to give Uozumi a peck on the cheek. Everyone cracked up once again, but Akagi did his task anyway.  
  
The bottle stopped in front of the one person that so far has not done anything. Miyagi was the one giving the task. "Truth or dare?"  
  
Koshino gulped. He disliked it when his turn came. "D - Dare!"  
  
Miyagi looked around the room. "Well, I dunno." He looked at Sendoh and saw a smile crawling up the Ace's face. Just then Miyagi had an idea. His eyes fell on Mitsui who was playing with the carpet fibers, not a care in the world. He grinned like an idiot. "All right. I want you, Koshino Hiroaki, to give Mitsui Hisashi a nice, big, tonsil jumping kiss!"  
  
"W - W - What?" He cried, paling even more. "You - Y - You c - c - can't!" Mitsui's head had snapped up when he heard his name. He froze when he realized what was going on.  
  
"Come on Koshino. Can't be that bad. I mean I had to hug Fukuda for crying out loud!" Sakuragi whined, earning a glare from silent Fukuda.  
  
"That's a hug! Th - This is a k - kiss! There's a big difference!" Koshino said. "Oh screw it!" He got up, walked over to Mitsui, knelt before him and grabbed Mitsui's shirt collar. Mitsui's eyes widened as soft warm lips were quickly, but gently placed over his. He felt Koshino nip on his bottom lip, and he immediately responded by giving the younger boy entrance. Koshino's tongue skillfully caressed his, and Mitsui could not bite back the moan from escaping his throat. Everyone ogled at the sight. Koshino had always been shy, but here he was displaying desiring kissing abilities. If he could kiss that way, imagine what else he could do.  
  
"There!" Koshino said taking a step back. "Done!" Mitsui was flushed, he was aroused, he was lusting over the shorter boy. He wanted those lips again. He wanted them for himself and only him. But he did not do anything about it. The game carried on, and Mitsui had drifted of to la-la land, the kiss still raw and fresh in his memories.  
  
*  
  
Mitsui hardly got any sleep the nights that followed. His lips burned with desire for Koshino's warm and soft lips. He longed to feel those deliciously sweet lips swallow him whole. He longed for that skilful tongue do mind blowing things to him. Hell, he simply wanted Koshino, period.  
  
He knew however that nothing he wanted would be granted. Heck, he didn't even know the guy for crying out loud. All he knew was that he carried Ryonan's jersey number six, was a shooting guard like himself, was a bit shy and was a quiet boy. Other than him being a bit too skinny, that was all he knew. He wanted to know more, because ever since that kiss, all he could do was think of the slightly shorter boy.  
  
Once practice was over, Mitsui headed over for his part time job at the gas station. He got paid a good amount to get him food and to get his daily needs. His aunt in Nagasaki gave him the house and pays for the water and electricity bill and his tuition fees. It was okay with him actually. He got an allowance every year of about five hundred thousand yen, but that would die in three months time, even though he tried cutting back. Mitsui eyed his blue sneakers. He needed a new pair.  
  
He did his job till one in the morning. He got his pay and left without another word. When Mitsui was alone, he was a different young man altogether. He seldom said anything, just merely the hi and bye and sometimes a few other monosyllabic phrases when needed. Heck, he could be Rukawa version two if he wanted to be. But no, Mitsui was different. He always was an individual, having to go through his injury that deeply wounded him inside and live his next few years as a gangster, who wouldn't change even if friends accepted you once again?  
  
Mitsui bought a can of Pepsi and drank it on his way home. He had not really been paying attention to his surroundings, but something at the back of his mind forced him to tug a look at the dark alley street. His eyes landed on a particular pair of dark eyes that lingered upon his gaze for a moment, before disappearing in to the shadows of the silent alley. Mitsui could only wonder.  
  
"Funny." He mumbled. "I thought I saw Koshino."  
  
*  
  
Mitsui had tripped down stairs one day in school when he was busy thinking about Koshino in la-la land. Lucky for him, his knee was still in one piece. But his wrist was sprained. He went to Dr. Hajime and got a good lecture from him from being careless. Nevertheless, the tiny injury would heal in about four days or less, depending on Mitsui's activities with his left hand.  
  
Mitsui was getting mildly annoyed. He was heading for the doors that led to the outside when he saw Koshino entering the hospital with a paper bag in his arms. He could not help but smile and approach the boy.  
  
"Hey Koshino!" He greeted.  
  
The boy nearly jumped out of his skin. "Ah! Umm - h - h - hi, Mitsui- sempai!" His eyes fell on his wrist. "What happened to you?"  
  
Mitsui thought about it. He could not say that he fell from the stairs because he was thinking about him and his kiss. "I fell from the stairs."  
  
"Honestly!" Koshino shook his head, a frown etched on his cute boyish looks. "Why would someone as graceful as you fall from the stairs?" Mitsui blushed at the rather innocent talk. "Really now. How ungraceful. I would expect such acts from that red-head in your team, but not from you. Hell, never from you!"  
  
"I was -" Mitsui stared in the dark black pools that somehow had the blue- green tint in them. "I was thinking about - about someone!" He grinned.  
  
"Yeah? Then that person must mean a lot to you. I mean come on! You fell from the stairs! You know how silly the picture in my mind is right?" Koshino asked. The boy made small talk easily, and made the person with him feel at ease rather than awkward. Though Koshino tend to make a big deal out of a small minor thing, Mitsui wasn't complaining.  
  
"Whatever it maybe, I'm sure I still look good in them." Mitsui winked at Koshino who merely rolled his eyes. "So what brings you here?"  
  
Koshino's mood fouled. The glare he gave Mitsui was enough to make the former MVP swallow a lump in his throat, stop breathing and take a step back, raising his hands in the process. "Does it matter?"  
  
"No. I mean, I was just asking." Mitsui said, voice a bit shaky.  
  
"I'm visiting my sister." Koshino said and gave a curt nod. "Now if you'll excuse me, she's waiting for me."  
  
"Can I meet her?" Mitsui asked and Koshino nodded. Mitsui followed him.  
  
What made the former MVP curious was why Koshino was heading for the intensive care section of the children's ward. Mitsui got his answer when Koshino stepped in to a room with a girl half lying, half sitting on the bed. She had wide dark blue eyes and dark hair that was long and was in a pigtail. She was extremely pale and was connected to a life support machine. She was about eight years old and even in the middle of all the tubes and wires fighting to keep her alive, the girl somewhat still looked beautiful, in her own mysterious way.  
  
"Onee-chan? Who's the old man with you?" She asked in a low, hushed and strenuous voice.  
  
Mitsui was bewildered. "O - O - Old man?"  
  
Koshino turned to look at Mitsui and smiled back at the girl. "He's a fellow friend, Sakura. Mitsui-sempai, this is my sister, Sakura. Sakura, this is Mitsui-sempai."  
  
Sakura graced Mitsui with a hardly noticeable nod. "Yoroshiku."  
  
Mitsui nodded and grinned at her. He watched as Koshino began to relate what happened that day in school. It was the basic routine. Go to school, try to stay awake through out the classes, eat lunch, try to stay awake again through out the classes, practice basketball then go home. Mitsui had nearly the same routine, except he had a part time job, which suddenly reminded him. Koshino - does he have a part time job? Mitsui shook the thought away as he continued to watch how Koshino treated Sakura as if she was a porcelain doll. Koshino was a different guy. He was sweet, kind and always smiled. His smile was the most wonderful of all. Under some circumstances, Mitsui had seen Koshino force a fake smile, laugh in mockery and sometimes even give a sneer, but never smile whole heartedly. When Mitsui did, it was the most amazing thing he had ever laid eyes upon.  
  
The night flew by and thanks the heavens Mitsui had no work. On their way home, Mitsui decided to ask. "What is she suffering from?  
  
"Car accident. Doctor says she has a few days to live since her entire body refuse to heal." Koshino said it in a lifeless and emotionless manner. "Mom and dad died in that accident a month ago, but she didn't. Now she's suffering because some deity refuse to let her die in peace instead of suffer."  
  
Mitsui said nothing. What could he say anyway? The girl was dying and obviously it must be shredding Koshino on the inside. Who knows about this? Sendoh? Ryonan team? Miyagi? If so, why was he not told? Mitsui mentally slapped himself. Because he never really cared much about Ryonan's shooting guard until recently right? Yeah, that was the reason.  
  
"I'm sorry." Mitsui said, not daring to steal a glance at the sorter boy walking by him.  
  
"We're all sorry." Koshino said and took a look at his watch. "I've got work to do. I'll see ya around yah?  
  
"Yeah. Take care Koshino."  
  
Koshino nodded and turned in to a dark alley. Mitsui watched as his figure disappeared in to the shadows. Why doe she feel de ja vu?  
  
*  
  
Koshino turned to look behind to find that Mitsui was gone. He sighed and continued walking down the dark alley. He stopped when a familiar man dressed in a white crème suit came in to vision.  
  
"You're five minutes late." The man stated.  
  
Koshino gave him his coldest glare. "I'm here now."  
  
The man gave him a lopsided smile. He had dark brown hair, intense gray- blue eyes concealed behind silver rimmed glasses. He was a few inches taller than Koshino. He looked rich and spoiled and the type to shed loads of money.  
  
"Yes, you are here now." He said, the luminous white teeth flashing before Koshino. "Come on now, Koshino-kun! I have customers waiting."  
  
Koshino followed the man in to a black limousine at the end of the dark alley.  
  
It was going to be another long and painful night.  
  
But what mattered was the money.  
  
*  
  
"Mitsui!"  
  
Mitsui narrowed his eyes in his sleep. Someone was going to die. Definitely. He cracked an eye open to come face to face with his green digital clock flashing eight A.M. Yup, someone indeed was going to die a slow painful death - that is once Mitsui actually wakes up and tortures the person.  
  
"What?" He snapped. "It's a darn Saturday and it's eight in the morning! Fuck off!"  
  
THWACK!  
  
"OUCH!" Mitsui bolted up from his lying position, the covers rolling down and giving his rouser - or rather his audience a good view of his naked glory. "What the fuck? Excuse me! I'm sleeping here!"  
  
Miyagi backed away a bit, a deep flush on his cheeks, bumping in to the chest of his lover, Sendoh who had a fine eyebrow raised to its fullest at the sight of Mitsui. Sakuragi and Rukawa just stared, both having blood trickling down their noses. Koshino basically scowled at the silly issue all together.  
  
"Fucking turn around damnit!" Mitsui snapped louder. Everyone turned, allowing him to shuffle about and pull a pair of loose cotton gray pants on. He crossed his arms across his chest and asked - no, demanded in a stern voice. "What exactly brings you lot here at this unruly time of my sleep? I'm a growing boy and I need sleep! I'm also a basketball player, thus sleeping helps me grow taller, which would be to my advantage during our games! Has the thought ever crossed your pathetic minds?" He did not even notice Koshino's presence.  
  
"No." Rukawa gave a deadpan answer.  
  
"Get out! Now!" Mitsui pointed sharply at his bedroom door.  
  
"But Mitsui -" Sendoh tried to reason.  
  
"Out!" Mitsui yelled louder, his cheeks flushing red from annoyance.  
  
"But we came because -" Miyagi was cut off as well.  
  
"Now!" The house shook with Mitsui's voice.  
  
The whole group rushed out before Mitsui began to spit fire at them, the front door slamming in the process that the hinges shook from the strong force. Mitsui sighed and rubbed his dry throat. Really, has he been screaming that loud? He fell back on his soft bed and hugged his pillow. Sleep refused to fall over him, so he got up and took a long hot shower, then changing in to a pair of baggy dark blue jeans and a sleeveless white shirt. He padded over to his kitchen and took out a bowl, pouring milk in to it. He reached out for his cereal - Kellog's Corn Puffs - and began to eat in a dead and lazy manner. He got himself some coffee, in which he only drank half before washing everything that he used. He looked out of the kitchen window and saw that it would be a nice day to go for a nice long walk.  
  
He was bored. There was nothing to do at home, so maybe the walk around town would do him good. He grabbed his house keys, a couple of yen bills and threw open the door of his house. He closed it behind him and was about to walk down the pathway to his gate when he stopped. The group that woke him up that morning was in his front porch.  
  
"What are you people doing here?" He demanded yet again.  
  
"Mitsui-sempai, here us out." Koshino said. If there was one change in Mitsui's sour mood, it was when he blushed a bit and the look in his hard eyes softened. Everyone noticed this, especially Sendoh. Mitsui sighed and waited for Koshino to speak. "We were initially going to go to the fair today, and since we're all meeting with the other group - umm - well, we were supposed to an hour ago - at the fair, it wouldn't be nice to leave you behind. So, we actually wanted to go early when all the rides were empty."  
  
Mitsui felt nothing but stupid. That was the reason? They came in good will and he had shoved all of them out of his house. All of them had included the current object of his desire that is Koshino Hiroaki, dressed in baggy jeans and a full-sleeved cotton shirt along with a baseball cap.  
  
"Oh." Mitsui mumbled, his cheeks tinted with pink from embarrassment.  
  
"So you're comin' or what Micchy?" Sakuragi demanded.  
  
"Sure!" Mitsui grinned. "Why not?"  
  
*  
  
The whole day turned out to be fantastic. Mitsui had gone on the roller coaster more than six times and he was already beginning to feel sick. They had all stuffed themselves with cotton candy, popcorn, tacos, sodas, ice cream, chocolate, candies and doughnuts and it was already past lunchtime and almost dinnertime. All the said food consumed, mixed with a bit of the horror rides, the bungee diving, the water slides and the roller coaster produced not-so-good effects. Especially to Mitsui, who was now rivaling any zombie in the movie Resident Evil.  
  
"Right, we'll all go for dinner after one last quiet ride." Ikegami said, pointing at the Ferris wheel behind him. "Go in pairs."  
  
So they all grouped themselves in to pairs. Koshino had ended up going with Mitsui, simply because he preferred being with ex-gangster. Mitsui was not complaining at all. They boarded a car after Ikegami and Fukuda went. It was a nice orange car, with khaki upholstery. They sat opposite each other, and waited as the ferris wheel rose and rose, reaching the peak. Mitsui looked down to find everyone resembling ants and also to be rewarded with another churning feeling in guts. Heights always did wonders to him, and if Bugs Bunny could change from red to green to purple, Mitsui could do that too. Only a blue was added to the end of the color chain.  
  
"Mitsui-sempai, are you quite all right?" Mitsui kept staring at his shoes. "You don't look too good." Mitsui mumbled some incoherent words under his breath. "What did you say?" Koshino asked.  
  
"I'm afraid of heights." Mitsui confessed.  
  
"Oh, right. That!" Koshino gave a small laugh. "I used to be afraid of heights too. Sakura was the one who told me to look above instead of below." Mitsui tilted his head up a bit to find Koshino staring at the evening stars above them. "Somebody told me that the great people of our past are up there, watching over us."  
  
Mitsui turned to look up at the sky, and found it a beautiful sight. From looking out his bedroom window, all he'd see is endless black with white glowing lights. Now that he was several meters above the ground, he realized that the sky had a dash of purple and a bit dark blue along with black. The moon was full, giving off a warm and cool yellow and purple glow.  
  
"It is a comforting sight, isn't it?" Koshino asked, his eyes sparkling as the lights of the stars and moon fell upon those dark irises.  
  
"Yes." Mitsui said, still looking at Koshino. "It is a very comforting sight."  
  
Koshino felt his stare and turned towards him. "Mitsui-sempai?"  
  
Mitsui blinked fast and turned to look at the sky. They were now descending, but he kept his eyes glued to the sky, until he felt Koshino shake him, indicating that they should get off.  
  
The Ryonan and Shohoku guntai marched out of the fair and on to a Chinese restaurant. However, Koshino glanced at his watch and if there was any change at all, it was how his skin went from golden-white to pale.  
  
"I'm sorry. I should go." He said.  
  
"Koshino, it's a Saturday. Come on." Hikoichi said.  
  
"I've got work to do." Mitsui raised an eyebrow at the shorter boy's words. "Go on without me. I had fun anyway." There were a few more arguments and begging, but in the end Koshino left, and Mitsui could only look behind him as Koshino made a turn towards a dark alley and disappear in to the night.  
  
  
  
TBC  
  
I support MitKosh and MitRu. 


	2. Part 2

TO HOLD ON 2  
  
  
  
Mitsui was on his way to the hospital to get his sprained wrist checked. Three days has passed since that fun time at the fair with the Ryonan team. Now, here he was in the hospital once again, a place that he had tried to avoid ever since that knee injury, and ever since he got that burning sensation in his knee, he became a regular visitor to the hospital. Mitsui pushed the glass doors open, entering the orthopedics department, smirking at the irony of it all. Yeah sure, him being careless, why wouldn't he be a frequent visitor to the hospital?  
  
Dr. Hajime changed the bandage on his wrist. Mitsui felt a slight stinging sensation when Dr. Hajime bent his wrist in a rather painful manner that a hiss had escaped Mitsui's lips.  
  
"Now, avoid putting too much pressure on this hand okay?" He said and gave him a tube of ointment. "This will help soothe the pain outside the bandaged areas. Now run along."  
  
Mitsui thanked the man and got up from the stretcher he'd been sitting on. He headed out of the hospital when he remembered Koshino's younger sister. He went to a flower shop near the hospital and bought a bouquet of yellow roses for the girl. He signed a card and headed to Sakura's room. When he entered, he found the room dim and the curtains drawn close, Sakura lying peacefully on her bed, sound asleep. He placed the roses on an empty vase, leaving the card beside and gave one last look at the girl. He did not know what to feel, since no emotion washed over him. He did not understand this. He left the room, feeling a little bit hazy on the inside.  
  
He thought about Koshino and Sakura's position at that moment. According to Koshino, both his parents were dead. It made Mitsui wonder. If both his parents are dead, who is paying for Sakura's hospital bills? Surely whatever part time job Koshino has taken would not be sufficient to cover such huge expenses.  
  
Unless, he found another way. Mitsui thought. He suddenly felt worry bubbling up inside him.  
  
*  
  
Koshino stared at the mirror in front of him. It was four in the morning and he had just got home. Every bone in his body throbbed with pain. His vision has doubled and his head swirled in different directions. And to top all that, he had a screaming bruise on his left cheek. He lifted a hand to touch the bruise, and winced.  
  
"Ouch." He hissed, closing his eyes tightly. He washed his face, the cold water bringing about wild painful sensation to the already hot bruise on his cheek. "I deserved that." He said, and headed for the shower. At the cold water, his body shook as if 100 volts were passed through him. After the shower, he was slightly thinking clearly. Not bothering to dress, he made his way to the bedroom, collapsing on the bed, not bothered to pull any clothes on. He fell asleep immediately, only to awaken by the shrill ringing of his alarm clock three hours later. He forced himself to get up and take another cold shower to get his mind in to working mode. He changed in to his uniform, collected his books and headed for school. He did not even bother with breakfast since he still felt awfully queasy about last night's events. Food would only make his stomach worse.  
  
All eyes fell on him. He gave them the coldest and angriest glare that he could muster, causing them to step back a bit, since they knew better than to mess with Koshino in a foul mood.  
  
"Koshino!" Sendoh sang, plopping down the chair beside him in homeroom. "So, how are we today - OH MY GOD! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE?"  
  
If Koshino had not been too tired that morning, he would have pounded Sendoh's face on the desk and used his head as broom after all the pounding. But because of the lack of energy, he simply settled for a silent and deadpanned answer.  
  
"I walked in to a door."  
  
Sendoh blinked. "Koshino, that is so unlike you." Koshino threw him a glare. Sendoh gulped. "Then again every human being makes mistakes." Sendoh gave out a nervous laugh. However, deep inside, the spiky-haired teen was worried. Koshino and a bruised cheek plus him walking in to a door gave a negative answer to the whole equation. Or maybe he did walk in to a door, Sendoh did not know and he figured that he never would. So he changed the subject. "Ryo-kun is inviting me and you to his house along with the rest of the team for dinner and a movie. Would you like to come?"  
  
"When?" Koshino asked, turning to look at Sendoh, finally.  
  
"This Friday night." Sendoh beamed, just the thought of being with his cute point guard lover was enough to send the ace to cloud nine.  
  
"Can't." Koshino said.  
  
"Why not?" Sendoh asked, as if he was just slapped in the face, and he was actually, metaphorically speaking.  
  
"I've got work to do." Koshino simply answered, and everything was left till there. Koshino gave Sendoh a look saying that he should not press on the issue any longer. Sendoh had the brains not too, and Koshino was more than thankful.  
  
Classes went by smoothly for Koshino till practice came. He suddenly felt unbelievably sick. He skipped practice, causing several of his teammates to turn and look after him as he took off to the bathroom and locked himself in a stall. Once inside, he puked his guts out. Everything he had eaten, which was basically a tiny sandwich the night before his job, came out and later on, he was puking clear sticky stomach acid. He was not aware of the pounding on the bathroom stall door. His mind was elsewhere, his breathing was ragged, and his chest and ribs hurt from all the hurling of stomach acid, not to mention that his throat burned.  
  
"Koshino Hiroaki! Open this door this instant!" Sendoh hollered from beyond the green painted door.  
  
Koshino wiped his mouth with a roll of tissue, and got to his feet, opening the door as if it was the most difficult task in the world. Sendoh had jerked it open only in time to catch a collapsing Koshino.  
  
"Hiroaki!" Sendoh gasped, the slightly shorter boy grabbing on to his white practice shirt to regain his balance. "Hiroaki? What on earth is happening to you?"  
  
Koshino looked up in to the deep blue eyes of his good friend. "I - I don't feel too good." Koshino's cheeks puffed out and he hurriedly turned, just in time to puke in to the toilet seat once again, without creating a mess. Sendoh knelt before him, rubbing reassuring circles in his back as Koshino continued to throw up.  
  
By the time Koshino was done, practice was over and the entire team was talking about the poor boy. Sendoh walked him home that late afternoon, and asked him if he needed anything. Koshino merely thanked him and told him that he would be fine.  
  
That night, Koshino looked at himself in the mirror in his working clothes. It would be something he would despise for the rest of his life, but it was also something that made him who he was right now.  
  
He only needed it for a little while. He just needed the money. Honor and pride no longer mattered to him. It was just the money.  
  
Koshino pulled on a black coat over his working clothes. It was time for work.  
  
*  
  
Mitsui left the gas station, counting his pay. He needed groceries; he was running short of food. Lucky for him, there was a 24-hour grocery store just next to the gas station he worked in. He gathered all the things he needed, mostly canned foods, since he was not the type to cook because he never had time to do so in the first place. Paying for the goods he bought which came in two paper bags, he collected his change and waltzed out of the grocery shop, heading for home. He had gone over time, staying till two thirty instead of one, and he did not have an excuse for himself on why he did that. If it were because of the money, then he would be doing that ever since he got his job in the first place. But it was some unknown, and nagging feeling that made him stay. He was hoping to catch eye of the late nightlife.  
  
Just as the thought passed his head, a shiny black Lexus limousine passed by in front of him while he was checking for cars before he crossed the road. He could have sworn he heard anguished screams coming from that car. Then again, maybe it was just the lack of sleep. It was after all, nearly three in the morning.  
  
He went home, took a shower and took advantage of the three-hour sleep he would be getting. He would definitely wake up with dark circles under his eyes that same morning - oh hell! It did not matter.  
  
No one would care anyway.  
  
*  
  
Mitsui went to school the next day looking like someone had just given him good hard punches in both his eyes. He dragged his feet when he walked, and his head hung low. He could not stop himself from yawning every ten seconds, not matter how hard he tried too. Things did not improve at all during his classes. He got four detention slips from falling asleep. He tried to assure the teachers that he was indeed very tired from his work the previous night, and they would hear none of it. So he had to sort out library books as his punishment.  
  
During basketball practice, he had to deal with him colliding in to his fellow teammates, Sakuragi's constant bickering words, Akagi's ordering voice, Ayako's wild paper fan, Kogure mothering nearly every person he saw, and a very, very annoying Miyagi.  
  
"Look Mitsui, I'm just concerned for you. I know we've been on bad terms before, but let's just forget that for one minute and think about your current condition - which, if I may point out, is not very good." Miyagi went on and on, while Mitsui merely listened with half an ear, incase the boy did ask him something. If Mitsui was not paying attention to Miyagi a few minutes ago, he was all ears now. "I mean, I don't want you to end up like Koshino. Akira-kun told me that he was really sick yesterday that he missed the entire of practice puking his guts out. Really, Mitsui, you are my teammate, and I try my best to look out -"  
  
"Koshino is what?" Mitsui demanded, turning around sharply, a wild look in his blue eyes. Miyagi was very startled at the sudden spur of attention. He was also beginning to take interest at the whole turnabout of Mitsui listening attitude. "What happened to him? Is he all right? Was it indigestion? Well? Damnit shorty! Say something! Stop gaping at me that way!"  
  
"Interested in Koshino, eh?" Miyagi said in a teasing voice.  
  
Mitsui blinked at the words that came from Shohoku's point guard. Then, as if he was blessed with knowledge and wisdom, he remembered the way he blurted out his concern about Koshino. Mitsui suddenly looked as if he was splashed by red paint on his face.  
  
"It's not like that you stupid idiot!" Mitsui snapped, and if possible blushed even more. Yeah right. It's not like that at all. If anyone knew what was going on in Mitsui's head whenever the name 'Koshino' was mentioned, they'd laugh then and there.  
  
"What's not like what?" Miyagi asked, a silly grin on his face. "Wait till Akira-kun gets a whiff of this."  
  
Mitsui turned around in a blink of an eye and had Miyagi pinned on the tiled floor of their locker rooms. They were in rather inappropriate positions, that if anyone should walk in would get very nasty and wrong ideas.  
  
"Listen shrimp, and listen good. You want what's best for you; you'll do well by starting to keep your mouth shut. It's bad enough Ryonan has Hikoichi. Shohoku does not need one. So zip it and zip it tight!" Mitsui leaned close to Miyagi's ear. "Or else, you know Tetsuo is just around the corner right?"  
  
The locker room door swung open and there was a loud gasp. "Ryochin, how could you two time smiley? I thought you loved him! And why Micchy of all the people in the planet?"  
  
"Shut the hell up!" Mitsui and Miyagi chorused, both bouncing up to their feet, blushing like mad.  
  
"He pushed me to the ground just because I found out that he fancies Koshino!" Miyagi blurted out. Mitsui slapped a hand to his forehead. Trust Miyagi's mouth to act as a microphone to his personal life.  
  
"Who likes Koshino?" Kogure walked in.  
  
"Mitsui-san does." Miyagi answered, jerking a thumb in Mitsui's general direction.  
  
"Mitsui fancies Koshino?" Rukawa asked, as he planted a kiss on his precious red-head's shoulder.  
  
Mitsui gave out a scowl and grabbed his bag. He was already indeed very red and it only brought more amusement to the whole situation.  
  
Great. Mitsui thought. Now the whole team knows. First, I don't get any sleep. Then I get detention for absolutely nothing, followed by fixing about a dozen shelves of books in the library and finally, some big-mouthed shrimp decide to blurt out my secret crush making it the biggest issue in the face of the earth. My day has turned out worse. How much worse could it get?  
  
*  
  
Rain poured down hard once Mitsui was in the open. Mitsui looked up the sky and glared at it. "Damnit! You guys up there really like making fun of me don't you? It's always me! Me! Me! Why can't you pick on someone else for a change?"  
  
"Mitsui-san?"  
  
Mitsui turned around and found the porcupine head of Ryonan, holding a gray umbrella, looking at him with curious yet shocked blue eyes. "S - Sendoh?"  
  
"Who are you talking too? Are you all right?" Sendoh asked. Mitsui did not need to know what he was doing in the middle of the road leading from the main street to Shohoku high. It was quite obvious that some shrimp back in the school grounds was waiting the arrival of its beloved hedgehog.  
  
"No I'm not fine! That stupid lover of yours finds it very amusing to turn my love life in to the headlines of the tabloids! So I happen to fancy Koshino, big deal! I've kept it a secret for quite some time now, and because of that stupid, stupid shrimp, everyone knows! Geez! If I did not promise Anzai-sensei that I wouldn't beat the living shit out of people anymore, I would have loved to see how that shrimp would look in a pot of boiling water and vegetables!"  
  
Yup, Mitsui was definitely pissed off.  
  
"You fancy Koshino?" Sendoh asked, clearly amused, since he had this huge, big, shining, megawatt smile plastered on his face. It was far brighter than his normal, everyday, average ones.  
  
Mitsui slapped his forehead. "Right! Me and my stupid big mouth!" He mumbled to no one. "Goodbye Sendoh! You heard nothing, you will speak of nothing and you will remember nothing! Goodbye!"  
  
With that said, Mitsui rushed to his part time job at the gas station. There, he drowned his sorrows by acting like a broken record, asking customers what kind of fuel they wanted and wishing them to drive safely. It didn't really mattered, since the words flowed out of his mouth in a very robotic way.  
  
It was going to be another long night for the former MVP.  
  
*  
  
  
  
The next morning was no better for Hiroaki Koshino. He skipped breakfast again, simply because he felt sick. He had the urge to throw up, but there was really nothing to throw up. He was pale the entire day during school that teachers actually had to stop by his desk to see if he was even breathing.  
  
During basketball practice, Koshino puked his guts out once again. Taoka had told him - no, ordered him to go home and not attend practice for the next three days until he is fit and no longer hugging the toilet all the time.  
  
Koshino had to smirk sourly at the words of concern coming from Taoka. Nothing was going to change. That was the drawback of his evening work. He felt sick the next day.  
  
He spent the early evenings with his sister in the hospital, telling her about the latest things in the outside world, the news, and the gossips and even brought her some fresh red apples. When it was time to leave, Koshino felt was if his insides were being ripped. He did not want to leave his sister ever. He did not even want to think of the day when she would leave him permanently to a world where her pain would be non-existant. No, he had too much in his mind already.  
  
Entering the silent and dark apartment of his, Koshino headed straight for the bathroom and took a quick shower. While he was drying he turned to look at his reflection in the mirror. Thin was an understatement. He poked his sides and winced. He barely had any resistance, meaning he has to pay attention to how his body was reaching its decline stage from 'over work'. Money. Yes, that was all that mattered. He tore his gaze from his reflection and got ready for work. This time, he vowed to obey his masters. He did not want a bruises and other 'visible' physical assaults inflicted upon him.  
  
He did not fear them. Hell, he never would.  
  
Koshino knew he was being a coward.  
  
*  
  
Mitsui woke up the next afternoon and tried twisting his left wrist. When he felt no pain, he jumped with joy and immediately rushed to see Dr. Hajime. Dr. Hajime was pleased with recovery and for once in all his visits; Mitsui did not get a lecture, but praises instead. Mitsui had dutifully brought a bag of apple with him again, round about a half kilo just for Koshino's sister.  
  
He was walking down the children's ward and stopped in front of Sakura's door, ready to enter, when he heard the girl's tired and small voice inside.  
  
"Big brother, please just do what I asked. It's better anyway. Look! You're getting hurt. I don't know where you get money from, but I know that it's hurting you. Please, big brother. Just do this so I can be with mama and papa."  
  
Mitsui took a step back and decided that it was not the time to interrupt the siblings. He went to the nurse's desk and requested that the apples be brought to Sakura's room. Mitsui left the hospital, concerned. So the kid did have brains. And his curiosity was satisfied. Koshino was working alone to support both himself and his sister.  
  
The only question Mitsui had was - what did he work as?  
  
*  
  
A week passed in a blur. Koshino was tired to the limit that he could barely think nor see straight. Many of his aims during basketball practice were ruined due to his tiredness. He had not been focusing at all and to top all of that, through the course of the week, he had earned himself several bruises on his torso.  
  
He was not focusing at all until he found Hikoichi shaking him. "Koshino- kun? There's a phone call for you."  
  
Koshino blinked and nodded, murmuring low thanks and heading for the direction of the administration building where his phone call was waiting for him. For some reason, he felt unbearably cold. His hands shook and his heartbeat increased its pace. He felt panic rise in his throat and forced himself to remain calm. He reached the office and took the phone.  
  
"Koshino Hiroaki speaking." He said, and the latter on the other side of the phone began to speak. Koshino trembled. Koshino shook. Koshino froze. He did not breathe. Everything the person was saying on the other line was merely a dream. A sick illusion. He refused to believe it, but in the end, all he could say was, "I - all right. Thank you."  
  
Even at times like these, Koshino marveled at how polite he could be. He blindly headed back for the basketball court. He shivered in the cold. He suddenly felt so alone. He practiced idly, his good friend Sendoh giving him curious and concerned glances. At the end of practice, Koshino locked himself up in a toilet stall and just sat there. He wondered why no tears came out.  
  
"Akira-kun!" Koshino heard. It was Miyagi's voice.  
  
"Yo! Sendoh!" It was Mitsui's voice.  
  
"Wait okay. I'm just going to gell my hair." There were other voices and Koshino knew that there was another outing. It was a Friday after all, and Koshino knew of this outing. He just didn't feel like going. He should go see Sakura. Yes, he felt that he should do that. He came out of the bathroom stall and was met by Sendoh gelling his hair in front of the mirror.  
  
"Oh! Koshino!" He said, beaming. "Coming?"  
  
"Yes." Koshino said, against his own will. But he did change to formal attire and joined the group in their outing. They went for dinner then for a movie, all the while Koshino moved like a zombie.  
  
They were moving their separate ways and soon Mitsui was left behind with Koshino in a rather semi-deserted road, watching as Rukawa and Sakuragi walked away through the night, hand in hand, although the two were still busy bickering at each other. Mitsui smiled inwardly at the sight, but at the same time felt bitter bile rise in his thought. He had always wanted something those two had. Someone to hold, someone to hug, someone to say that he cared, someone to protect, someone to love - or maybe just have someone in his life other than himself. If there was something he learned in his gangster days it would be that you had no one other than yourself and the bitter darkness that every human being possessed - unless he or she was an angel from heaven. Mitsui Hisashi was definitely no angel, at least not by their standards.  
  
Speaking of angels, Mitsui turned to look at Koshino, who seem to be staring at nothing in particular. His eyes were fixed on some invisible white spot on the black iron lamppost, the white light cutting through his dark eyes, making some sort of emotion glow fiercely that remained unknown. The boy had been quiet. Really, he would make a perfect Rukawa version two. Mitsui was really beginning to worry. Koshino was not the type to zone off to la-la land. He called his name and got no reaction. Rain was beginning to poor, but Mitsui did not mind getting soak a bit. It would feel a bit refreshing. He called out Koshino's name once again, the rain coming down faster. Mitsui called his name again, and frowned when Koshino gave no response.  
  
"Koshino!" Mitsui shook him lightly. The boy blinked out of his reverie and turned to look at Mitsui, with a lost look on his face. "Are you all right? It's getting late." A car zoomed past them, causing a few droplets of water to fly from the road and land on their legs.  
  
"Yes, I should go. Good night, Mitsui-sempai." Koshino said and walked away in a zombie like manner. Mitsui watched as the boy began to walk away, his mind in turmoil, trying to think of reasons why the shorter boy would act this way.  
  
Mitsui turned to walk away when he saw bright head light of a blue car glowing and moving fast. He turned to find Koshino just smack in the middle of the road. "Koshino!" He yelled, and no response came. The car was moving fast, so Mitsui did the next best thing. He dashed forward and shoved Koshino out of the way, both of them falling on the wet concrete floor and car zoomed past them. "Damnit, Koshino!" He said, helping the boy sit up a bit, who was now acting like a complete rag doll. "What's wrong with you? You're zoning off! You're not yourself! You look really ill! And for crying out loud!" Mitsui shook his harshly. "You nearly got run over by a car! What's wrong with you?"  
  
Koshino looked up, his eyes filled with tears and he choked for a response. "My sister." He said and sniffed. "My sister is dead." Mitsui's eyes widened. Koshino covered his face with his hands and cried his heart out, Mitsui simply looking at him. A few seconds later, he hugged him, saying nothing, because he could say nothing to ease the pain.  
  
The rain poured on.  
  
TBC  
  
Ne? Watcha think? More to come soon. 


	3. Part 3

TO HOLD ON 3  
  
  
  
Mitsui set the bouquet of white roses by the headstone of Sakura Koshino. Koshino was standing behind him, staring the gray marble with sad eyes. No one knew of this other than them both, the priest and two nuns. It had been a quick and very silent funeral - Koshino made sure that it would be. Mitsui paid his last respects to the girl he hadn't known, but grew to like one way or the other, and then turned to look at his friend.  
  
"Koshino?" He inquired.  
  
"Let's go." Koshino said, and they left. They exited the cemetery and slowly, a soft drizzle of white snow descended. Winter was back, and Mitsui never really thought that Koshino would be so quiet through out the funeral The guy did not shed a single tear.  
  
They parted ways. For good or temporarily, Mitsui did not know which one his doubt would swing to.  
  
  
  
*  
  
The more the days went by, the more Mitsui desired to see Koshino. What was going on with him, he did not know. Christmas was coming soon, and he knew that Koshino would be spending them alone. Akagi and Kogure had already left the team, and the team did feel rather a bit miserable without the two seniors - who fought to keep the team together through thick and thin. It was another day of practice in the cold weather in their gym, and the heaters were not really doing anything to keep them warm. Sakuragi complained. Miyagi whined. Ayako grew tired. Rukawa fell asleep and now Mitsui was complaining.  
  
"Look, captain!" He stressed on the last word. Miyagi frowned at this. "Why can't you just let us go home? You want us to catch pneumonia or what? And it's Christmas! Your supposed to be home, baking cookies with mommy and helping lil' sister and brother put up the tree!"  
  
"Then why don't you go to mommy and bake your cookies, huh?" Miyagi retorted back.  
  
If lights could go on off, so did Mitsui's mood. If there is one thing he hated, it was insulting his mother or father. He never really cared before, but now he was very sensitive to this. Miyagi saw the sudden change in his eyes and quickly raised a hand. That look only appeared in Mitsui's face if he was ready to beat someone up to a bloody pulp. Miyagi did not want to be that pulp. So instead, he brought something that he knew, Mitsui was aching to hear.  
  
"Umm - did you know that Koshino caught a cold?" Miyagi asked, signaling Ayako behind him to end practice. The whistle echoed in the gym and everyone, with shivering steps made their way to the showers.  
  
Mitsui's ears perked at this. "What?"  
  
Miyagi shrugged. "I dunno." He sighed. "Akira-kun has been complaining that Koshino had been to quiet and that one day, he appeared in school looking so pale that his fingertips were quite dark in color. The poor guy. He also said that Koshino had a big bruise on his cheek and shoulder."  
  
"Cheek and shoulder?" Mitsui questioned, eyebrow quirking in question.  
  
"He fell down the stairs, therefore earning a bruise on his shoulder. He walked in to a door, hence the bruise on his cheek." Miyagi rubbed his chin. "That's funny."  
  
"What's funny?" Mitsui asked, rubbing his arm since they were getting goose pimples.  
  
"Because Akira-kun said that Koshino said the very same thing three times a couple of weeks ago. Koshino has been walking in to doors pretty much doesn't he?" Mitsui thought about it and wondered. Could it be because he was still affected by his sister's death? But walking in to a door? That was really silly. "Akira-kun said that Koshino was never ever clumsy. I mean Akira-kun does know him. They pretty much were together since junior high school anyway."  
  
"I'm gonna drop by his place tonight. See if the guy is actually fine." Mitsui turned and headed for the showers, waving a hand at Miyagi in thanks. He took the quick shower; changed in to his black jeans, white t- shirt and Shohoku jacket before rushing home. His house already had the Christmas effect. He hanged lanterns, put up the lights, Christmas tree and made sure that he had a good supply of Christmas cookies and cakes - because the rest of the team had a knack of coming over at his house since he lived alone and stayed with him. Not that he really complained, but they were all growing boys, and growing boys need food. Food during Christmas was mostly cakes and cookies, so of course those boys would be expecting that.  
  
He went to his room and changed in to fresh, clean black jeans, a light blue turtleneck and a navy blue winter jacket. He tied his blue Asics sneakers on, something that he got from his Godfather living in Hokkaido, and grabbed some money and his keys. He went to a good Ramen store and bought nice hot beef Ramen. He then headed for Koshino's home. It was a nice standard Japanese house, with a clean green garden that was currently covered in white snow and a low metal fence. He opened the gate and made his way to the door. He rang the doorbell.  
  
The door opened a little head bobbed from the side. Koshino blinked and opened the door a bit wider. "S-Sembai?" He asked, sniffing. His P's were becoming B's and his T's were becoming D's. It must be a very terrible cold, because he had a tinge of red across the bridge of his nose, that plus a healing bruise on his right cheek. "Dhis is a subrise."  
  
"Damn." Mitsui said, looking at Koshino, who was clad in a white winter pajamas along with the Santa Clause like hat to go with it. "You sound terrible."  
  
Koshino smiled for the first time in god knows what, Mitsui did not know. "Come in." Mitsui stepped in the clean house. It was rather empty. No Christmas things up. It was bare. "Have a sead Sembai." He brought a hand to his nose and sniffed before wincing and coughing. His voice was a lot hoarse than usual, indicating that he did have a sore throat.  
  
"Here." Mitsui handed him the ramen. "You should have them. It's still hot."  
  
"Dhank you." Koshino sniffed accepting the ramen. "It looks good."  
  
"Eat it." Mitsui said grinning. He headed for the kitchen. "Come on. I guarantee you they're good. I eat at their store nearly all the time, when I get the time actually." He tried to keep the happy atmosphere, not asking about the bruise. He knew that Koshino does not want him too, so he complied with this.  
  
They sat in the kitchen's table and Mitsui assisted Koshino in eating up his ramen. He ate slowly, choking a bit because he was having a very hard time to swallow things because of his aching throat.  
  
"Dhey are good sembai." Koshino said finally, after finishing the ramen. "I never really ade at all because of dhis sdupid cold." He sniffed again, and whined. "Oh man."  
  
"So how have you been?" Mitsui asked, clearing the plates. "It's been a while since I last saw you."  
  
"I've been okay, I guess." He replied. "Studying, basketball, the usual." Mitsui nodded. "You?"  
  
"The usual." Mitsui replied. He saw Koshino yawn and get up to sit in the living room. Music by Glay was playing in the stereo. "Koshino?"  
  
"Hai?" Minutes of silence.  
  
"Don't you feel alone?" Mitsui finally asked.  
  
"All the time." Koshino replied. Mitsui said nothing, but kept looking at the plush carpet. "Don't you?"  
  
"I'm always alone." Mitsui replied, closing his eyes.  
  
"We're just a bunch of lonely guys huh?" Koshino said, forcing a smile, but failing miserably. He coughed and then yawned.  
  
"Yup." Mitsui said, staring at the ceiling, Glay's music deafly entering his ears. "We are."  
  
A few minutes went by and Mitsui had not taken his eyes off the ceiling. When he did, he found Koshino curled up on the sofa, dead to world, light babyish snores coming from him. Mitsui got up and headed for the attic of the house. He found what he wanted and began his task. Two hours later, he covered Koshino with a blanket and placed his Christmas gift and card in its suitable place.  
  
He then left the house, glancing one last time at Koshino. "You don't have to be alone when you've got friends." He whispered and turned to leave in the dark night.  
  
*  
  
Koshino woke up to shrill ringing of the phone. He opened his eyes and for a moment saw red and green glowing. He bolted up from his lying position and eyed the living room. His house was decorated in such a beautiful way. There were lanterns on the doors and walls, there were blinking green and red lights, Christmas stockings filled with candy, artificial stick on snowflakes on the windows, and most of all, there was a beautiful green tree in the corner of his small living room, decorated with shiny Christmas balls, cookies, candy canes and red ribbons. The golden star on top of it glowed with golden pride.  
  
Koshino gaped, but the ringing telephone shook him to reality. He grabbed the phone and whispered a very strangled hello. His eyes narrowed at the speaker on the other end. "I'b nod feeling well. I've got donsillitis and a bad cold. Give me a few days and I will be back for work." He sighed. "I kdow. Good bye." He hanged up the phone. His eyes fell on the little red parcel under the tree and the card. He picked up the card and opened it.  
  
Nobody should be alone in Christmas. I'm always here if ever you need company. Merry Christmas.  
  
Mitsui  
  
Koshino placed the card back and smiled. "Oh sembai. If only -" He could no longer continue. He broke down in to tears.  
  
*  
  
Christmas morning was as bright and as peaceful as it could be. In the neighborhoods of Mitsui's subdivisions, delightful squeals of children could be heard from the presents they got, sweet smell of grand breakfasts seeped out of the houses, there were light laughter and loads of happiness.  
  
Mitsui for starters, was in a foul mood. He had fallen off his bed and landed on the cold marble floors. He wouldn't have minded if he was wearing a pear of sweat pants, but it just so happened that he had gone to sleep the previous night in the nude after having loads to drink with Tetsuo and the rest. Now he reeked with alcohol, and falling flat on your butt on a cold marble floor was not very good. Mitsui felt something tug in his guts and immediately got on his two feet and rushed to the bathroom, puking all the beer he had consumed the other night. How many cans was it? Nine? He couldn't remember, and he could not be bothered. That was the last thing he wanted to know, and by the looks of how his head spun and how he vomited, he judged that it was definitely more than a few cans. Mental note: Never ever drink beer with Tetsuo during Christmas.  
  
He took a cold shower to wash the headache away - which did work, believe it or not - and get the reeking smell of alcohol off him. He was not aware of the amount of musk scented shampoo he poured in to his palm, he was not aware of how hard he scrubbed his body with the body scrubber and he was not aware of how his bar of white musk scented soap had shrunk. He just wanted the smell off. When he was done, his body was dark pink from all the scrubbing. He dried himself with a towel and changed in to a pair of clean blue jeans and a white jumper before bouncing down his living room to clean up last night's mess. Surprisingly he found none. Everything looked untouched, except for the pile of presents under the tree, which looked as if someone had rushed in putting them there while he was asleep. Oh well, Santa or not, the presents were his.  
  
He sat in front of the pile and unwrapped them one by one. He got a wonderful baby blue scarf from Sakuragi, a dark blue cashmere jacket from Rukawa - he figured that those two bought them together - a pair of hand knitted mittens from Ayako, a huge expensive towel from Kogure, a MAX and T.M Revolution CD from Akagi, a turtle neck cashmere jacket in blood red from Miyagi, chocolates from Haruko, basketball accessories from the Gundan, a hat from Uozumi, sun glasses from Ikegami, a watch from Sendoh, a WANDS CD from Fukuda, and a journal from Hikoichi. Tetsuo had given him a really nice silver chain.  
  
Mitsui grinned at the contents. He had given them their gifts a couple of days ago and he only got theirs that morning, how he did not know. He and Tetsuo had been good friends since the beginning and it was not surprising when Tetsuo gave him the expensive chain, since Mitsui got him a new motorcycle helmet from Harley Davidson - he saved up for months just to get it. The chain must have caused a lot because of its luster and heaviness.  
  
Mitsui got up to prepare breakfast. He was mixing a batter of pancakes when the doorbell rang. He licked batter off his finger and rushed to get the door. "Coming!" He opened the door and found Koshino standing outside. The boy had a light green cashmere turtleneck under his black coat, accompanied with jeans and his sneakers. "Koshino!"  
  
Koshino blinked at the sight Mitsui made. He had smudged flour on his face, his hair was a mess and the worst of all was the orange apron he was wearing. "You don't really expect me to follow that now do you?"  
  
Mitsui frowned and glanced down at his apron. In bold black letters, it said, 'Kiss the cook! He's cute!' Mitsui grinned. "Nah!" He pushed the door wider. "Come in. I was just making breakfast. Wanna join me?"  
  
"As long as you don't poison me, sure why not?" Koshino smiled and took his coat off, placing it in the coat closet near the door. "Merry Christmas. Here!" He handed him a box of baked Christmas cookies.  
  
"Oh you shouldn't have!" Mitsui said and took one. "Good!" He said with his mouth full. He swallowed and gestured to the living room. "Have a seat." He noticed that Koshino's cold was gone.  
  
Koshino padded to the living room and Mitsui went about to finish his pancakes. He brewed coffee, poured them in to cups set the table and called Koshino. They both sat together in Mitsui's neat and cozy kitchen, talking about recent basketball news, the things going on with the team and Christmas itself. In the end, they were both laughing and really enjoying themselves.  
  
Koshino stayed with Mitsui till late afternoon. They watched movies, played card games, had lunch, watched movies again, and went for a walk, then parted their ways.  
  
"I had a good time, Sempai." Koshino said sincerely.  
  
"Me too." Mitsui patted Koshino's shoulder. "Take care okay?"  
  
"Merry Christmas!" Koshino waved and jogged down the street towards his own home.  
  
Mitsui walked home, the snow making soft crunching noises as he walked. Once at home, he began to sort out his presents. He then noticed a small one lay among the pile of opened ones, wrapped in black paper and red ribbon. There was a small card with it. He unwrapped the gift and opened the black velvet box, only to find a pair of identical silver rings with one tiny red stone in the middle - they were actual red rubies. He was awed, he was shocked, and he was surprised. He opened the card and read the message.  
  
Many thanks to the times when you were by my side. My mother used to tell me that on Christmas, when you have two identical things, one should be given to the person you care for the most. When you do this, you will be friends or lovers forever. Use it wisely.  
  
Merry Christmas.  
  
Koshino.  
  
Mitsui stared at the rings continued to do so. He did not know what to say.  
  
*  
  
Mitsui suddenly suffered from a high fever and a very bad cold five days before New Year. He kept on sneezing, he kept on shivering, he kept on coughing and worst of all he could barely talk from his aching throat. He remained lying in bed; balls of used tissue paper were overflowing from his plastic blue bin. A pile of empty tissue boxes was currently growing in the corner of his room. He refused to see any doctor, simply because he had this phobia for needles penetrating human skin, especially of the aforementioned skin belonged to him. No, he did not want to see any doctors. So he stayed at home, lying in bed, groaning and moaning from his aching bones, spinning head and sore throat.  
  
On New Year, Mitsui was still in bed. He was pale, he perspired a lot and his weight dropped. Mitsui was lying in his bed, curled in to a ball, when his cordless phone began to ring. He did not want to answer it but suddenly had the urge to do so. Moaning in protest, as his bones cracked from the effort of stretching, he grabbed the phone and answered.  
  
"Hello?" he said in a rather inaudible voice. It sounded more like a whisper rather than a greeting.  
  
"May I please speak to Mitsui-sempai?" The other person said.  
  
"Speaking." Mitsui winced as he spoke. His throat was killing him.  
  
"Mitsui-sempai? Koshino here. Is that really you?" Mitsui gave out a small groan. "Are you sick?"  
  
"Yeah." Mitsui began to cough up in a dry fit. "What can I do for you, Koshino?"  
  
"Nothing." There was silence. "I actually wanted you to join me for dinner since it is New Year, but then I think I'll just drop by. Would it be all right?"  
  
Mitsui sighed and ended up coughing instead. "Sure, why not?" He needed company anyway. He suddenly changed his mind. "No, actually don't. I'm really sick. I don't want any of my germs affecting you."  
  
"Nonsense Mitsui-sempai!" Koshino laughed in the other end. "You're the one who said that nobody should be alone." Mitsui could no longer say anything to that remark. "I'll see you in a few minutes."  
  
"I'll leave the door open." Mitsui said. "Just come in okay?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Bye!"  
  
Mitsui pushed himself out of bed, and the effort drove him mad. He was in pain but he did not want to disappoint Koshino. So he bared with it and headed to the front door and unlocked it so that Koshino could enter. He then scrambled back up to his room, where he collapsed in the bed, grabbing his blanket and wrapping himself tightly, because he was shivering again. He was in his white pajama set, with his top unbuttoned. He was beginning to perspire again, and his breathing was growing rapid. He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. He ended up falling asleep.  
  
*  
  
Koshino reached Mitsui's house and allowed himself inside. Once inside, he noticed how the place was extremely quiet.  
  
"Mitsui-sempai?" He called out, taking his coat off and hanging it in the closet. "I'm here!" He called out again, but got no reply. He took his shoes off and found a pair of house slippers to use. He climbed up to the bedrooms and easily located Mitsui's. He knocked first, and got no reply. "Mitsui-sempai?" He twisted the doorknob and entered. He felt how the room felt rather cold. He located the bed and found Mitsui there. He approached him and gasped. "Oh my God!"  
  
Mitsui lay there, clutching his side as he tried to breathe evenly. His entire body was sleek with cold sweat and his cheeks were flushed. Koshino touched his forehead and nearly jumped from his senior's body temperature. He began to gather all the dirt in his room and threw them in to a big garbage bag, before taking them outside. He took out a small basin and a small towel. He filled the little basin with warm water and added rubbing alcohol in to the water. He took it up to Mitsui's room and searched his closet for a set of clean pajamas. Finding none, he settled for a pair of baggy green sweatpants and a white full-sleeved shirt. He stripped the sweat soaked pajamas of Mitsui and began to bathe him with the towel and the water. He repeated the process three times and by then, Mitsui's temperature has gone down a bit. He changed his clothes and got rid of the comforter Mitsui was currently using. He found a new one in his closet and covered him with that instead.  
  
Koshino rushed to the nearest pharmacy and brought some antibiotics. He asked for the brand that he and his family used whenever someone ended up with a cold or a fever - Augmentin and Actifed. Once back in Mitsui's house, he prepared the syrup and gently held Mitsui's head up. He allowed reflex to the work. Mitsui swallowed the medicine and coughed a bit. He then continued sleeping.  
  
Koshino sighed and padded down to the kitchen, placing the medicine in the fridge and began to prepare some soup. It was five hours till midnight. Once the soup was ready, Koshino cleaned the kitchen and placed Mitsui's used clothes in the automatic washing machine. He was sitting their on his own, waiting for the washing machine to be done, when he heard little strangled screams coming from Mitsui's room. He rushed back up to find Mitsui stuck in a nightmare that he could not escape. He was twisting and screaming. Koshino shook him awake.  
  
"Mitsui-sempai! Wake up!" He shook him again. "Mitsui-sempai!" Mitsui groaned and balled a fist on his bed sheets. "Hisashi!" Koshino yelled in fear. Mitsui sat up and began to shiver. He hugged himself and groaned. "It's okay, Mitsui-sempai. It was just a bad dream." Mitsui made no move, his shoulders slightly trembled. Koshino placed a hand on Mitsui's shoulders and finally held the older boy in his arms. Mitsui closed his eyes and fell back in to a dreamless sleep, however, a tear trickled down his cheek, and all Koshino could do was wipe it away.  
  
They remained that way - Mitsui asleep in Koshino's slender arms, until midnight came. Koshino looked down at the peaceful senior lying in his arms and smiled. "Happy New Year, Mitsui-sempai." He whispered, and leaned his head on the headboard and fell asleep.  
  
TBC  
  
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! Mitchy fell asleep on Koshy! YAY! Cute ne? So what did you think? Reviews? Onegai!!!  
  
VIVA LA MITKOSH 


	4. Part 4

Okay, guys, I've mixed the days up. First of all, I don't know how the school year works in Japan. So I've used the September-June sessions, which is what the UK, US and the UAE (where I am) follows. This is probably wrong but for the sake of the fic bear with me. In future fics, I will get them right. I promise! ^^  
  
  
  
TO HOLD ON 4  
  
  
  
Mitsui opened his eyes, only to find dark shadows clouding his vision. He felt something soft and silky, something that carried the fragrance of pine tickling his nose. He blinked several times to get a good vision of what was currently blocking his vision and the same time invading his senses. He could feel hot breath tickling his cheek, and could a pair of arms around his chest - wait! Arms? His breath got caught in his throat, when he noticed the shadow being lifted away from his vision. Instead, what greeted him was a pair of dark eyes, which had the beautiful bluish-green tint in them. Mitsui felt as if a magnetic force field around him. He felt numb from just staring at those wonderful eyes. They were too beautiful to be true.  
  
"Are you feeling better?" Mitsui watched as the beautiful person how cradled him in its arms lifted a gentle hand to touch his forehead. "Well, your fever is gone." A small smile graced the person's face. "Happy New Year Mitsui-sempai."  
  
Mitsui blinked. He blinked again, and realized who the person he was ogling at. "Koshino?" He gasped, and a slow blush crawled to his cheeks. He turned his head away, to hide the blush, as he slowly sat up, as much as he hated to leave those arms. "Aa. Happy New Year." His head suddenly swam and his vision blurred. He groaned and collapsed on the pillow.  
  
"It must be the hunger." Koshino said, standing up and heading for the door. "You haven't eaten after all. I'll get you something to eat." Koshino left the room.  
  
Mitsui let out a sigh and turned his back to the door. He hugged himself and shivered. He closed his eyes, trying to block the swimming sensation he was currently suffering from. He was lost in his own world, until he heard a chair scraping his floors. He slowly turned to find Koshino balancing a tray with food in it.  
  
Mitsui gave a grunt as he sat up.  
  
"Here! Hot soup." He handed him the plate, which had a bowl on it with warm corn soup in it. "Eat up." Mitsui nodded and shakily took the spoon, and tried balancing the plate in one hand, but failed miserably. So he held the plate with two hands. Koshino sighed and scooped a spoon full of the soup. "Open up." He said, holding the spoon in front of Mitsui's lips. Mitsui hesitated, but took it in the end. The soup burned his throat. But it was good. He finished the entire bowl and felt a bit better. "There! Now, isn't it much better?"  
  
Mitsui nodded. "Yeah. Much better." He said in his low baritone voice. His throat was still aching after all.  
  
"Why don't you take a bath? It'll make you feel better." Koshino suggested.  
  
"Yeah, I guess." Mitsui automatically replied, not really looking from the invisible spot he found interesting in his hands.  
  
"I'll get the bath ready."  
  
Koshino prepared the bath and left Mitsui in the bathroom to get his head cleared. Mitsui simply stared at the ceramic light blue ceiling, and could not help but think how Koshino was being so nice to him, how his heart was beating fast just because he was beside him. Out of the blow, he made a quiet confession, to whatever magical being that was listening to him at that moment. It felt good to say what he always wanted too.  
  
"I love him." He said to the cloudy blue ceiling. And then, he fell asleep.  
  
  
  
*  
  
Koshino had abruptly frozen in mid action in opening the bathroom door with a pair of matching pajamas for Mitsui to change in to. I love him, he had said. Love who? Curiosity had peaked inside Koshino. Mitsui admires someone? He thought of asking Sendoh and Miyagi on who the person might be. He decided that perhaps the senior would want some time alone.  
  
Koshino padded down the stairs and went to the kitchen to boil some water. He placed the kettle on the gas stove and began to mix two cups of hot chocolate. He pulled a white stool and sat, while waiting for the water to boil. He began to think about it all. The year was going to end soon and he needed to go to college. He needed to earn money, since the coming year would be his final one. The thought of resigning from basketball had occurred to him several times, because he simply could not have the time to play anymore in a serious manner. All his time after school would be needed for work. Yes, his night work was very important, since it was the only one that helped him stay on his own two feet.  
  
"With a bad price to pay." Koshino scowled.  
  
The kettle began to whistle. He got up and poured the water in to the two waiting cups - one blue mug and the other black. He glanced at the watch. Mitsui had been inside the bathroom for two hours now. Koshino took the set of clean clothes and climbed up the bathroom again. He knocked twice and got no reply.  
  
"Mitsui-sempai? Are you all right in there?" Still no reply. Koshino felt his heart speed up as worry began to etch in his features. He turned the door knob and stepped in, only to be greeted by Mitsui asleep - his arms around himself, and his head resting on the walls of the bathroom, knees drawn to himself, with his lips slightly parted as his breathing came out in small and deep breaths. Koshino did not catch himself staring at the sleeping boy. The young man of seventeen looked angelic if nothing more exotic and beautiful. Koshino could not help but admire how those long eyelashes hid the dark blue orbs. He could not help but admire how his tanned back and chest moved as he breathed in and out. He could not help but admire how his dark hair shimmered under the globules of water in between the short soft strands. Koshino felt a small smiled crawl to his lips.  
  
"Kirei." He sighed out and then suddenly blinked. He shook his head and straightened himself. He knelt by Mitsui's side and gently shook him awake. "Mitsui-sempai? Sempai?" Mitsui's eyes opened slowly, looking dazed. "Sempai, you should come out now. The water is getting cold. Here!" Koshino patted the folded towel and pajamas on the lid of the toilet seat. "I brought you a change of clothes."  
  
"Thank you." Mitsui said in a deep and husky voice, as he continued to absent-mindedly eye Koshino through half lidded eyes.  
  
Koshino felt his cheeks burn at this. "I've made us hot chocolate. I'll wait for you downstairs." Koshino left the bathroom and closed it immediately behind him. He brought a hand to his chest and he felt his heart racing at the speed of a running horse. He remembered Mitsui's half lidded eyes, his body, his voice, his handsome face - and Koshino blushed even redder. "What's wrong with me?"  
  
He hurried to the kitchen and brought out the hot chocolates to the living room. He sat on the single couch and took a sip from his drink. His eyes fell on a picture of Mitsui with his team in junior high. He could not help but find him rather adorable at that time, unlike now; he looked more high- spirited and bubblier then. Koshino felt someone sit beside him. He found Mitsui picking up a mug of hot chocolate - the blue one - and took a small sip from it. His hair was still glistening wet from his bath, and his pajamas hung on his slim and well-proportioned body. Koshino felt himself burn from the sight of his senior.  
  
Several silent minutes passed by and soon, Koshino found Mitsui huddled. He had drawn his knees to one side and wrapped both arms around himself, dipping his head a little bit down. Koshino decided to speak up.  
  
"Sempai?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Are you cold?"  
  
"A little."  
  
"Would you like me to get you a blanket?" Mitsui shook his head in reply. "Then?"  
  
"It's just that it's so lonely sometimes." Mitsui's voice was low and tired. He looked up at Koshino's direction. "I'm thankful for a good -" Mitsui's eyes softened a bit. "-Friend like you." Mitsui continued to look at Koshino in a way Koshino did not understand. Mitsui suddenly blinked and turned his line of vision to the hot chocolate in his blue mug.  
  
Koshino looked at his cup. "You're never alone sempai." With that said he turned to look at Mitsui, who was looking at him with his lips slightly parted. Koshino smiled at his senior and reached out for some cookies from the plate on the coffee table and handed him one.  
  
Mitsui took it, and just stared at it for a few long seconds. A genuine smile suddenly graced his lips and he took a bite off the cookie.  
  
*  
  
School was back two weeks later and the winter games have finally ended. Koshino was doubling his efforts in pushing his grades up to nineties level. If he wanted to cut down his school expenses, he'll need good grades in order to gain proper credits for college. One fine afternoon though, he and Sendoh had decided to go visit the Shohoku boys. They greeted them with a good heart and the favor was returned.  
  
Mitsui however, finally resigned the basketball team. He was greeted by several argumentative comments, but in the end, something possessed him to speak his thoughts within the secluded part of him.  
  
"It's not because I don't want to play anymore. No, you're wrong." Just then, Akagi and Kogure walked in. "I love basketball, more than anything else. I'd do anything to keep on playing, but unlike you people, I'm on my own. I can't solely depend on basketball. Look how may times I've collapsed in games? I've spent the past two years wasting them on the streets and being the all-around-bad-guy and now this is what I get. I'm not regretting it all. I'm not regretting being able to reach this point with you guys. All of you, were a family. You were more than just a team to me. But I need to work hard now. This is my final year, and I need a future. I'm not an ace like Maki or something. I'm just me. And being me, I believe it's time I moved on." He dipped his head, feeling the tears coming. He always was emotional, in a silent way. "You know, before my parents left, my mother always dreamed that I'd be able to start up a family business. I just want to achieve that. But that does not mean I'd never drop by and see you group youngsters blossom to stars. I will always watch your games. Because a family that worked and dreamed together, stays together."  
  
Miyagi turned his head away and cried silently on Sendoh's shoulder. Ayako covered her face, while Haruko hugged Youhei. Sakuragi walked up to Mitsui and gave him a big hug, crying. Soon the entire gym was filled with little sniffles. By the entrance of the gym, Koshino took a few steps back and felt himself collide with the wall behind him. That was touching. He closed his eyes for a brief moment before moving to leave the gym, ignoring the calls Sendoh was giving him.  
  
"Koshino!" A hand clamped on his shoulder, before the owner of the said hand moved to stand in front of him. "Hey, Koshino! I was just -" Mitsui frowned when he saw the look on Koshino's face. "Is something wrong Koshino?"  
  
Koshino began to think of his life. What was left of it? Should he go on dreaming? Was it a futile attempt? His night job was bad enough - it made him filthy and an odd duck amongst the rest. He was alone. He had no family. Did he still have happiness in his heart? Can he love? Is he still capable of doing that? He clenched a fist. Who would love him? Who would even look at a filthy young man like him? Man? Is he even qualified to be called as one?  
  
Mitsui noted how Koshino's eyes suddenly filled with loneliness. His lips slightly trembled. "Would you like to come home with me and have a cup of coffee?" Koshino nodded dumbly and began to follow Mitsui to his cozy house. Once inside the cozy house, Mitsui made Koshino sit in the living room while he began to prepare the coffee.  
  
Koshino's eyes fell on hands. He narrowed his eyes at them. They were filthy hands that earned money in a filthy way. If people found out, would they still look at him the same way they did before? Would Mitsui still even look at him? The more he thought about it, the more insecure he felt, the more he felt alone and odd.  
  
"Here." A steaming cup of coffee was held in front of him. He gave a rather inaudible thanks and took the cup, while Mitsui sat beside him. "Is something bothering you Koshino?" Koshino said nothing but his lower lip trembled. "You can always tell me." Koshino shook his head, his hair flying in different directions as he did so.  
  
"I'm all right sempai. I - I was just - just thinking - of -" Koshino's voice broke. "Oh god!" He covered his face and began to sob lightly. Mitsui quickly set his cup down and unconsciously took Koshino in his arms. The boy began to sob even harder. "I - hate my - my life - I'm - so - so useless."  
  
"Hush now Koshino." Mitsui began to smooth his hair, and continued to hold him. "Remember when I said that you're not alone?" Koshino nodded in his chest. "Well I meant it. Koshino, I'm here. I'm always here. So don't think that you're alone okay? Because no matter what happens, no matter what you do, no matter what you are, I'll always be here for you."  
  
Koshino sobbed some more, his slender arms tightening around Mitsui's waist as he continued to cry everything out. His frustration, his shattered family dreams, his regrets, his mistakes and his sins.  
  
A little time later, he stopped, and then there was silence. He closed his eyes for a moment and suddenly fell asleep.  
  
*  
  
  
  
Koshino woke up to find himself in a very comfortable bed. He immediately sat up and stared at the time. It was eleven thirty. He cursed and got to his feet and threw the door open, rushing down the stairs. He looked around and found light in the dining room. He went inside and found Mitsui bent on the table, a pile of books around him, his head resting on his arms, his specs still on. Koshino never knew that Mitsui wore glasses - he figured they were reading glasses.  
  
Koshino approached the sleeping figure and peeked at the pile of work that were set in an orderly manner all around him. He had fallen asleep on top of his physics textbook. He had been reading the chapter of static electricity. Koshino found his math text book open, along with several answered questions on lined and graph paper. His ruler, pencil, ink pen and eraser were scattered, and there was a pile of crumpled papers just beside him. Koshino rushed back up to the room and came back down with a blanket. He gently took his glasses off and covered his shoulders with the blanket. He smiled when Mitsui mumbled in his sleep. He scribbled a note and left it beside Mitsui's folded glasses.  
  
"Thank you, sempai." He turned and left the house, rushing back to his own. He found a pair of low waist leather pants and pulled them on. He found a dark violet silk button down blouse and pulled it on. He grabbed his coat and left the house, heading to his employer's office - a red bricked building with clear one way view windows. He took the lift to the 1st floor and made his way to his boss's office. The man sat there, in a white suit, with a scowl on his face.  
  
"Where were you? You're two hours late!" He barked.  
  
"I'm sorry, sir. I - I had school work to attend to."  
  
"You've got clients waiting to be attended. You don't get paid this much to be late, my little boy." His blue eyes glinted under the white light.  
  
"I said I was sorry." Koshino said, his temper rising. "Look, I'll make up for it okay? I'll stay till four instead of two. Happy?"  
  
"Always good to do business with you." He dug out a cigarette and lit it. "First client is on the east wing, room 101. Get it over and done with."  
  
Koshino gave a curt bow and turned to leave the office. He headed for the room he designated for.  
  
It was going to be a long night again.  
  
*  
  
Mitsui woke up the next morning to find a blanket lying on his shoulder and his glasses neatly folded on top of his English essay. He sat up and yawned, stretching his limbs. They cracked as he did so. He got to his feet when his eyes suddenly fell on a piece of folded paper next to his reading glasses. He unfolded it and a small smile came to his lips.  
  
Thank you Sempai.  
  
He climbed up to his room, tucking away the little note in to a small silver box in which only the most valuable things to him was kept in there. Inside, there was his certificate of being the MVP during junior high, a picture of himself with his family, his basketball team in junior high, the entire Shohoku team, a picture of both Ryonan and Shohoku during their outing in the fair, the card he got from Koshino, his locket and finally, the two rings Koshino had given him during Christmas. He added the note he got and closed the box.  
  
He went to take his shower and changed to his uniform. He then padded down the stairs and began to fix all his work and books before beginning his quest to search for breakfast. But it was already late. He grabbed an apple and dashed out of the house, making it in time in to the class room, just as the bell began to ring.  
  
*  
  
The days turned in to weeks, the weeks turned in to months. Soon, the entire Shohoku high school was packed with students memorizing their lessons for their final exams. Among all these students was Mitsui Hisashi. He had managed to pull his grade from a continuous - C average to a B+ average in the course of two months. He desperately needed to reach the A grades in order to get accepted in Tokyo university under Business IT. He had doubled his efforts in all eight subjects that he was taking, surprising all teachers. Not that they did not like the change - even Akagi was shocked. Mitsui after all was one of the 'red mark army' just a few months back, and now he was one of the top students if not the only one.  
  
Mitsui entered the classroom, to find the exam paper waiting on his desk. He dug out his necessary things and waited for the teacher to signal them to begin. His glasses lay in front of him. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and began to pray to the heavens that he get an A on his exams.  
  
"Begin!" the teacher said.  
  
Mitsui slipped his glasses on and picked up his favorite blue ink pen. He began to answer the exam.  
  
An entire week went by with exams only in every student's mind. Result came a week later. Mitsui was one of the first few people who arrived in school on the 12th of June to collect his reports. His form teacher handed him a white envelope with a smile.  
  
"Good luck, Mitsui-san." He said.  
  
Mitsui thanked him and made his way to the outside, where Akagi and Kogure were eyeing their reports with smiles of satisfaction on their faces. Mitsui was busy getting the envelope to open with shaking hands. He pulled the card out and stared at it. He gaped, he gasped, he stared before he jumped four feet high in the air with a big smile on his face.  
  
"I did it!" He shouted, causing everyone in the hall, including teachers to look at him.  
  
"What is your average percentage?" Akagi asked, a smirk on his face.  
  
"96.5! I did it! I'm going to Tokyo University!" Mitsui announced, smiling so happily that Kogure wondered if his face would tear.  
  
"Congratulations Mitsui! Your hard work got you this far." Kogure said good- naturedly. "I'm going to Aichi Medical College. Akagi is heading to Fukasawa College. They've got good engineering courses there, along with a good basketball team."  
  
Mitsui nodded and looked at the ground. "For a year we've been together and now at this point, we finally part. Ironic ain't it?"  
  
Akagi nodded. "Yes." He sighed. "It is ironic."  
  
"But we have to do this at some point." Kogure shook Mitsui's hands. "I wish you the best of luck Mitsui. I know for a fact that once you got your mind on something, you'd anything and everything to achieve it. Maybe we'll be together again, only at that time, as professionals. As talented individuals."  
  
"You're right." Akagi said nodding.  
  
"Let's all go out!" Mitsui said. "All of us! As a team!" His eyes fell on the group of noisy Shohoku basketball team shouting and slapping each other, since none of them have failed. "As a family."  
  
The entire Shohoku team spent that entire day having fun.  
  
As friends.  
  
As a team.  
  
As a family.  
  
TBC  
  
Okay, now I admit that Koshino is OOC and Mitsui in glasses? Damn, has the moon turned pink? But I wanted him to look smart, plus future chapters would be of Mitsui struggling in college and Koshino's dark side slowly being revealed. It will also be a quick one - meaning the entire year would come in one chapter.  
  
So what do you guys think? Be nice and give me some eye candy would yah? ^^ 


	5. Part 5

Okay, first of all, I'm glad that most readers are beginning to accept this pairing. I'm really happy! 2nd of all, this is going to be my longest story ever. I mean, it's not even reached the point of thought in which it all started! So I hope that everyone will continue to support MitKosh. Thanks to all the readers and supporters.  
  
Note to everyone: Guest appearances by the Wei( boys from this chapter onwards - since I made them neighbors with our SD boys. You'll see later on!  
  
  
  
TO HOLD ON 5  
  
  
  
Mitsui slammed the door shut behind him, as he staggered to the living room with several empty boxes piled up in his arms. Koshino followed in suit, with several boxes in his arms as well. It had been a rough day.  
  
"Phew! Thanks Koshino! I really appreciate this!" Mitsui said, taking a long drag from the can of Pepsi he dug out from the fridge. Koshino took a small sip from his and simply smiled at the senior.  
  
"Anytime sempai!" Koshino took another sip of his drink. "Need any help in packing?"  
  
Mitsui hesitated. "I'll be fine! But I could use a little company!" He grinned sheepishly.  
  
Koshino punched him playfully on the shoulder. "Baka! You know I would have stayed."  
  
Mitsui laughed heartily at the boy. "Yes, I know."  
  
Both boys began moving about the house, packing everything that was necessary. Mitsui's house would be up for rent while he moved in to this nice three bed roomed apartment near Tokyo University, which had a nice flower shop just beneath it. It was a simple two storeyed building and it had a quiet environment, plus it was clean. There was a 24-hour supermarket across it, and the library was a walking distance away. All in all it was a good place. Mitsui's aunt had bought it for him, saying that his parents had kept money aside for times like these. Mitsui was eternally grateful. Koshino had seen the apartment. It had wooden floors, off white walls, two bathrooms - one in blue the other in white, a kitchen with a dishwasher, along with beige and maroon tiles, a balcony and an emergency fire exit. It was a really nice house, and Koshino swore that he'd try to make it to Tokyo University. The state university itself was amazing; with more that 20 hectares of greenery, most advanced computer technology and science facilities, a friendly environment and fully qualified staff.  
  
Mitsui had gone to his room to pack his clothes. Koshino had been placing the books from the shelves that Mitsui had told him to. He pulled out the last two books when a picture of Mitsui in a black suit, with a dark blue dress shirt underneath fell. It was a passport sized photograph. Koshino placed the books in to the box before picking up the picture. He held it in his hands, staring at the handsome senior staring back at him with a serious expression, but had that mischievous glint within the depths of his midnight blue eyes. Reflex took over Koshino. He slipped the picture in to the back pocket of his jeans continued clearing the CD's next to the stereo.  
  
*  
  
The bright summer of 2002 was frying everyone. Mitsui and Koshino had hired a delivery truck to get all of Mitsui's things and some of his furniture - namely the bed, the couch, coffee table and his dresser, since the room he would be using already had a built in cabinet - to his new apartment. All of his things were kept outside the front door of his apartment. The people next-door, where friendly people, and had greeted them with a pleasant smile and a nice steaming pan of apple pie.  
  
They were really nice people, except for one of them who seemed to be as stiff as a rock - personality wise. They were four young men, and they ran the flower shop below Mitsui's new abode. It was called 'Kitty in the house' flower shop, a rather cute name for a flower shop. The young man who was the first to greet Mitsui and Koshino when they were checking out the apartment was called Omi Tsukiyono. Omi was the one who baked the pie for their 'tea' as he put it. That afternoon, after all the boxes were brought up and were piled neatly next to Mitsui's front door, only then did he have the pleasure of meeting all four boys in person, of course Koshino was with him.  
  
Apart from Omi - the sixteen year old teen, with ash blonde hair, big and wide innocent blue eyes and a rather skinny frame - there was Ken Hidaka, the all around soccer fan who had teal green eyes, a bob of messy brown hair, a rather clumsy attitude and tends to whine a lot. There was the local playboy (nickname courtesy of Ken) called Yoji Kudou, who had shoulder length dirty blonde hair in soft waves, pretty forest jade eyes and an all around flirtatious smile plastered on his face 24/7. Last but not least, was the redhead, with amethyst eyes and a very pale complexion - he immediately reminded both Koshino and Mitsui about their own ice king on the court, Rukawa Kaede. His name was Fujimaya Aya. They we're all pleasant and Mitsui found himself growing fond of them.  
  
After that afternoon of pushing and heaving boxes and furniture, Mitsui and Koshino decided that they would spend that night in the empty apartment. It was a waste to go all the way back to Kannagawa and then return the next morning. So instead, they spent the rest of the evening getting cleaning supplies and detergents along with some paint. It was a long and boring summer, at least the task of making Mitsui's apartment look nice would keep both basketball players busy and have their mind occupied.  
  
They had arrived 'home' late, tired and exhausted from all the shopping - the supplies they bought were not a featherweight. Just as Mitsui was placing the last tin of paint inside the house, Omi's head poked out of their apartment door and smiled at Mitsui.  
  
"Mitsui-kun? Have you had dinner yet? We got you pizza!" The boy beamed.  
  
Mitsui blinked. "Umm - no we haven't had dinner yet." Omi disappeared for a few seconds before appearing with a box of steaming cheese and pepperoni pizza in hand. "Uh - thanks."  
  
"I hope pepperoni and cheese is okay." He handed the box to Mitsui, who was grateful. They had completely forgotten about food.  
  
"They're great!" Mitsui heard Koshino drop a can of paint somewhere in one of the rooms and winced. He then turned to the boy in front of him who was eyeing the hallways with worry. "He'll be fine. By the way, Omi, why did you umm -"  
  
"Bother getting you a pizza?" Omi finished the question for him. Mitsui nodded. "Simple! We never really had neighbors because this apartment was not really set up for sale. The owner before you never really came and stayed here. Plus it's good to have neighbors. I - no - we just want you feel more at home. So if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to knock next door or come to the shop okay?"  
  
Koshino appeared, wiping a black smear off his arm, before he sneezed. "Oh hi Omi!" He greeted, giving him a small wave.  
  
"Omi got us pizza." Mitsui gestured to the box in his hand.  
  
"Oh that's so kind of you Omi. We still have that pie you made to finish." Koshino smiled at the boy.  
  
Just then a loud yell echoed from next door. "Omi! Get your skinny butt down here now!" It was Aya, and he was furious - their monotonic red head.  
  
"Oh! Gotta go! Goodnight you guys!" Omi bounded out of the barren apartment closing the door behind him.  
  
Mitsui went to the kitchen with Koshino, which was still plain and rather dead, and sat on one of the stools. Koshino sat opposite him and they began to devour the pizza. Soon the pizza was over, and they were attacking the pie. They were both growing boys after all. Mitsui decided that a shower could wait after all work was done tomorrow. He and Koshino pulled the couch in and shared the little sleeping space they could get.  
  
"Good night Sempai."  
  
"Good night Koshino."  
  
The two boys succumbed to their night slumber.  
  
*  
  
The next day had started out pretty heavily. Koshino woke up way before Mitsui. He dug out the broom they bought from the store and began to sweep the wooden floors clean. . He was just about done with one half of the living room, when Mitsui walked out, stretching and yawning, his jeans worn from yesterday riding way below his waistline, that Koshino had to turn away sharply and blush beetroot - to top that, Mitsui was shirtless. He just looked unendingly cute like that. Koshino joined him for breakfast of Cocoa Pebbles and cold milk, along with a cup of hot coffee. By then Mitsui had pulled on an old gray vest.  
  
They began by sweeping the entire house, collecting more than three dustpans full of gray and nose-tickling dust. They had to sweep the entire place twice to make sure that there was no more dust. Once the task of sweeping was done, they each took a mop and began to clean the floors with warm water mixed with disinfectant, and once the floors were dry, they covered the entire place up with plastic sheets.  
  
"Koshino, do you think that we should paint the living room baby blue or sunny yellow?" Mitsui asked debating which can on either side of his hands should he open.  
  
"Yellow would be good. Besides, we got white curtains, so I guess yellow would be nice. You can paint your room blue." Koshino suggested.  
  
"I guess so." Mitsui set the can of blue paint down and began to open the can of yellow paint. "The living room should be lively. I'll paint my room blue." He took a flat-ended screwdriver and worked the sides of the can with it. "What color would you like your room to be?"  
  
"My room?" Koshino asked, very, very surprised.  
  
"Why yes!" Mitsui popped the lid of the can off and winced when he got a whiff of the awful smelling paint. "You will be coming here and staying here sometime in the holidays. And besides - you want to get in to Tokyo University right?" Koshino nodded. "Then you'll need a place to stay. So why not here?"  
  
Koshino was speechless. "I don't know what to say." He said shyly, a tinge of pink on his cheeks.  
  
Mitsui held up a paintbrush. "What color would it be?"  
  
*  
  
The sun began to set, casting an orange glow on in the newly furnished apartment of Mitsui. The entire living room was already painted in sunny yellow. The floors were swept and mopped again, and finally waxed - now shining with all its glory under the final few rays of the setting sun. They had hung the curtains, an abstract painting on the wall, mounted the shelves, put a round plush rug on the floor in front of the couch and TV along with the stereo, placed the coffee table on the rug, cleaned the kitchen, stocked up on food, made sure bathroom was in proper working order and was in proper hygienic conditions, painted one room blue, on room pistachio green and one room dark violet, furnished the rooms, dusted out apartment corridor, installed phone, hooked up computer and finally, they were just putting the bed sheets and pillow cases on all the beds in the room.  
  
"Oh my shoulder." Koshino said, face smeared with dust, hair messed up, face pale from fatigue, eyes hollow, nose red from all the chemicals from the paint and finally the entire body numb from the day's work. Mitsui was a taller mirror image of Koshino. "I can't feel it."  
  
"Sorry." Mitsui said, not meeting his eye.  
  
"No sempai. I chose to do this. Besides, look at this place! It's beautiful!" Koshino spoke the truth. For a gangster-wielding attitude, Mitsui's house was rather - homey. "I'm going to hit the showers. Oh crappo!" He cursed.  
  
"What's wrong?" Mitsui asked, turning to look at Koshino, who had a hand on his forehead.  
  
"I should have brought a set of clothes to change in to!" Koshino said, trying his best to make the current pair of jeans he was wearing - and the night before - look a bit more decent, but in vain.  
  
Mitsui disappeared in to his room. He dug out a pair of old rather small jeans that belonged to him, a white t-shirt and a black sweatshirt. He had a new pack of boxers that he bought a few weeks ago. He took one out from the pack and went back to the living room, to find Koshino still trying to straighten his clothes out. He handed Koshino the set of clothes, startling the poor boy.  
  
"Here you go! They're kinda small on me, but they'll fit you! I'm a bit - umm - bigger built than you."  
  
"Are you saying that I'm a skeleton by built?" Koshino asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"You said it! Not me!" Mitsui laughed and soon Koshino joined him. "Go on and used that bathroom." Mitsui indicated the white one. "I'll use the one in my room."  
  
"Okay! Boy do I reek!" Koshino mumbled as he made his way to the bathroom.  
  
Mitsui made his own way to his room before stripping off completely. He hurried to the bathroom, turned on the hot tap and allowed the hot spray to cleanse his dirty body. He remained like that for a long time, just allowing the hot water to soothe his aching and sore muscles. After ten minutes of just standing there with his eyes closed, he took the bottle of musk scented shampoo that he had bought along with the groceries and began to lather his hair with the white gooey substance. He lathered, and lathered, then came the bar of lemon soap that he used to scrub every inch and centimeter of his body until his nose was intoxicated with the smell of lemons. Only then did he rinse himself and dried off with a huge white towel that he wrapped around his waist, the length covering him till his knees. He changed in to a pair of blue baggy loose soft jeans (as in it is jeans but really soft) and a white sleeveless shirt. He combed his hair and made his way to the living room to call for a pizza and some garlic bread. They were straving and Pizza Hut sounded good.  
  
Koshino came out of his 'violet' room, the scent of mint and musk surrounding him. Mitsui and him had argued on whether to buy the plain Heads and Shoulders shampoo or the one with mint. Koshino insisted that it would be mint, and in the end, because Mitsui found him pouting so adorable, he agreed - of course this 'adorable' issue thingy was done in secret.  
  
"So what would it be? Hawaiian? Pepperoni? Super supreme? Or stuffed crust New Yorker?" Mitsui asked.  
  
"Stuffed crust New Yorker! Oh and please get some potato salad." Koshino said, and sat down, turning on the stereo to play some music. The WANDS CD was on, and Koshino allowed the music to fill the room, as he turned to listen to what Mitsui was ordering.  
  
"Hi! I'd like to place an order for a large stuffed crust New Yorker with extra cheese, eight garlic bread supreme, a bottle of Pepsi, one large potato salad and two slices of chocolate cake." Koshino blinked at the order Mitsui made. The senior must be really hungry; they had skipped lunch after all. "Yeah well, do you know the Kitty in the house flower shop? You do? Great, well, we're in apartment number two. Yeah, no, I'm not one of the florists. I'm their neighbor! Fifteen minutes? Great! Thanks!" Mitsui hung up, and faced a gaping Koshino. "What?"  
  
"All that?" Koshino asked.  
  
"I'm hungry." Mitsui shrugged.  
  
Both sat in silence, too tired to say anything and just listened to WANDS sing. Fifteen minutes went by fast. The doorbell rang and Mitsui stood up to pay the deliveryman, who was beaming happily. He said that the boys next door were regular customers, nearly every night he delivers for them - funny thing was it was always after twelve midnight.  
  
Mitsui and Koshino sat down on the couch, placing their food on the coffee table as each began to dig out their own plate. Mitsui chewed slowly, savoring the cheesiness of the pizza, while Koshino dug in to the salad.  
  
"I love anything with potatoes. I can practically live on potatoes." Koshino said, when he found Mitsui blinking at the sight of him just devouring the potatoes and not giving the garlic bread or the pizza any notice. "Here!" Koshino took a forkful from the aluminum container he held in has hand and held it under Mitsui's nose, a smile on his face. "Try it!" Mitsui stared at him, a slow blush creeping up to his cheeks. He kept his eyes on Koshino and slowly took the potato from the fork, his lips moving in intimidating and arousing manner. Koshino had swallowed hard, and blushed redder than a tomato. Mitsui found it so cute that he completely forgot he had a chunk of potato in his mouth. Koshino stammered to say something to cover his blush. "W-Well?"  
  
Mitsui chewed fast and savored it. It did taste good - it was a potato - duh! "It's good." Mitsui said, nodding. "It's very good." He stole the fork off Koshino's hand and took a huge forkful of it, shoving it in to his mouth. He still had a pizza in his hand that he held out to Koshino. "Pizza?"  
  
Koshino raised an eyebrow and stole Mitsui's half eaten pizza. "Yes please!"  
  
They both collapsed in a heap of laughter - although there was nothing really funny about it. They continued eating, a movie called 'Rush Hour' playing the Movie Channel 2. While eating, they laughed, either at the movie or at their own silliness. Everything was going fine, until a shrill ringing of a cell phone stopped everything in motion.  
  
"Excuse me." Koshino said, digging out his cell phone and took the call. "Hello?" Mitsui watched from the corner of his eye as Koshino paled immensely. "I'm in Tokyo. Business. I know. I can't make it. Have someone fill up for me. I don't know, figure something out. I can't!" The last phrase had a tinge of begging, a tinge of sorrow, and a tinge of fear. Mitsui wondered whom Koshino was speaking too. "Look I'll be back tomorrow. I'll make it up then okay?" The call ended and Koshino sighed deeply. He rubbed his temples, and Mitsui could only guess that it was an upcoming headache.  
  
"You all right?" Mitsui asked, since it was obvious that Koshino did not want to talk about anything just now.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine sempai." Koshino nodded.  
  
"You sure?" Mitsui asked again and Koshino nodded in affirmation, the mood entirely put off now. "If you are tired, you could go to sleep."  
  
Koshino sighed and turned to look at Mitsui. "Sempai, can I ask for a favor?"  
  
"Sure." Mitsui nodded, sitting up, setting his glass of Pepsi down.  
  
"Can I - could I - h-hug you?" Koshino asked, looking so lost and small that Mitsui wondered if he was hurting inside. Mitsui stood up and pulled Koshino in to a warm hug. Koshino hugged back, holding on to Mitsui really tight. Mitsui smiled and buried his nose in to the minty scent of Koshino's hair. He was so small, so delicate and so fragile just there in his arms - he fitted perfectly. Mitsui held on tighter, savoring the moment - the first hug from his true love, though it was currently unknown to the latter.  
  
Koshino pulled back, smiling, a hint of pink in his cheeks. "Thanks! It's been a while since I ever got a hug. Sakura use to give me one every time she sees me - but now -" Mitsui shook his head. "Thanks sempai! I feel much better now."  
  
"I'm glad." Mitsui said, nodding.  
  
"I think I'll hit the sack. I'll clear up." Koshino made a move to clear the coffee table when he felt Mitsui pick him off his feet and carry him on his shoulders. "What the - MITSUI-SEMPAI!" He shrieked. Mitsui ignored him and carried him to the violet room - Koshino's room. He plopped him down on the bed, set him straight, pulled the covers over him and ruffled his hair.  
  
"Good night, Koshino!" Mitsui winked. "Get some sleep. See you in the morning." Mitsui left the room and closed the door behind him. It was a sweet thing to do, Koshino thought. So kind, so considerate, so - loving? Koshino blushed. He hugged himself under the covers, the clothes he had on, intoxicating him with the smell of lemony musk. Mitsui smelled like that when he was on his shoulder. Koshino unconsciously tightened the hug around himself before closing his eyes for sleep.  
  
*  
  
Mitsui woke up the next morning to find no sound whatsoever in his entire house. He bolted up from bed and headed for Koshino's room. He knocked twice before entering, only to be greeted with a neat looking room, the bed made and the clothes he lent Koshino neatly folded on top of the bed, except the jumper was missing. He rushed to the living room, and found it empty. He turned to the kitchen and blinked. He blinked, once, twice, before approaching the small breakfast table good for four people.  
  
On the table was a plate of steaming waffles, a pitcher of dark coffee, a cup ready for use, chocolate syrup, a bouquet of yellow roses and finally a neatly folded piece of paper. Mitsui opened the paper and read the neatly written kanji and the occasional hiragana.  
  
Sorry for leaving in such short notice. But I promise to drop by next Friday. I made breakfast for you - and those yellow roses were from the guys next door. I thought it would look nice in the house.  
  
Thanks for everything, sempai.  
  
Koshino.  
  
Mitsui folded the paper and looked at the bouquet of yellow roses, then at the breakfast. He sat down and began to eat.  
  
He made a good discovery.  
  
Koshino can cook really well.  
  
TBC  
  
WOW! They hugged! And don't you think Omi makes such a sweet neighbor? This is turning out to be a crossover. Yoji and Aya will play a big role in future, future chapters. That I can assure you. But wow! They hugged! WOOOOW! AWWWW! So cute!!!!  
  
Be nice people and give wittle Shi-chan some eye candy? Ne? Ne? 


	6. Part 6

Okay! I know that I said that the pervious chapter would be a summary of an entire year college year for Mitsui/school year for Koshino - but I was mistaken. It's going to be longer than I thought it would be. This fic is going to be chapters 15 and above. I've aimed till the point in which Mitsui becomes a failure/success after his higher studies. Damn! Long way! But I'll make it!  
  
Okay, on with the story!  
  
  
  
TO HOLD ON 6  
  
  
  
Mitsui found a job as a basketball coach assistant in an elementary school. Apparently they offered summer activities to children who want to make it to the team next year and to those who had nothing to do all summer. Mitsui was very lucky, since he got paid quite well. Other than his two hours sessions with the children everyday except Saturdays and Sundays, he was also offered a summer job at the flower shop, and boy did the place made loads of money in the summer. He worked mornings in the elementary school and afternoons in the flower shop. After that, he had a nigh job in a petrol station - again. It was something about petrol stations and him that clicked. He did not get it himself. Overall, he estimated that he would be earning at least 500,000 yen in a month, which was enough to get his electricity and water bills paid and enough to get him food. He was in Tokyo University in a scholarship after all.  
  
It was his second week working in the flower shop. He dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt. He noticed that the 'fan girls' that came to the shop always did buy something - either it was a single rose or a bouquet of white daisies. He also noticed that they like to ogle over the florists - and soon he was one of the objects of their ogling. He would often get a headache when it was too much but was helped by the cold redhead. He always shooed them out when the screeching got beyond deafening level.  
  
That lazy Friday afternoon, the flower shop was a lot peaceful. Mitsui was arranging the sunflowers in one neat row, trimming the stems with a pair of gardening scissors, when he heard the jingling sound of the bell, indicating that someone had just entered the shop.  
  
"I didn't think you were serious when you said you would take the job up of a florist."  
  
Mitsui turned sharply and found Koshino standing by the doorway, a box of cheesecake in hand. "Koshino!" Mitsui gasped, suddenly cutting his hand with the scissors he was holding to trim the stems of the sunflowers. "Ouch!" He quickly shoved his bleeding thumb in to his mouth.  
  
"Oh god! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to startle you!" Koshino gasped, digging out his handkerchief and taking Mitsui's finger out of his mouth and tightly pressing the piece of cloth to it, applying pressure. Mitsui winced a bit as Koshino pressed quite hard.  
  
"I didn't know you were coming." Mitsui stated, a sheepish grin creeping up to his face.  
  
"I wanted to surprise you." Koshino said, taking a look at the cut. "Oh - umm would you mind if Sendoh and Miyagi dropped by?"  
  
Mitsui blinked. "No. It's been rather quiet around. I could use a bit of old friends." He smiled. Mitsui reached out behind the counter and took out the first aid kit. Koshino opened it and took out some rubbing alcohol, cleaning the wound and applying some ointment on the cut before wrapping a small brown bandage on it. "Nice of you to drop by."  
  
Koshino nodded and gave him a small smile. "I got your neighbors cheesecake."  
  
"And me?" Mitsui asked giving a small pout.  
  
"I'm treating you to dinner." Koshino replied.  
  
"Do I get to choose?" Mitsui asked, beaming happily.  
  
"As you like." Koshino shrugged, and began to clear the first aid kit, when Yoji walked in from the back room.  
  
"Why hello Koshino! How nice of you to drop by." Yoji shooked hands with the shorter boy. "How have you been?"  
  
"I've been okay, Yoji-san, thank you. And you?" Koshino asked politely.  
  
"Ah! Never been better." He gave him his sexy smile, when Aya walked in as well.  
  
"Oh that reminds me!" Koshino said and headed for the counter, taking the yellow box and handing it to Yoji. "I got this for you guys. Enjoy!"  
  
"Oh you shouldn't have!" Yoji said peeking in to the box. "Looks good too."  
  
Koshino turned to look at Mitsui. "Anou, sempai, on my way here, I spotted a basketball court. Would you like to play?"  
  
Mitsui smiled. "Sure! Why not - err -" He turned to look towards the two elder boys and met Aya's hard eyes. "I can go, can't I?"  
  
"Yes, you may." Aya replied in his baritone.  
  
Mitsui untied the apron around his waist, folded it neatly and chucked it under the counter. He rummaged through the back room and came out with a brand new orange basketball. "Let's go." He said, beaming.  
  
Koshino nodded and both of them left, leaving Aya and Yoji watching them disappear down the streets, laughing and smiling.  
  
*  
  
Mitsui collapsed on the concrete floor of the court, sucking in deep breathes. They've been playing for nearly an hour, either just shooting or occasionally having a one-on-one game. Koshino was lying just next to him, breathing heavily and had his eyes closed.  
  
"That was good! It's been a while since I actually played with an experienced partner." Mitsui said, grinning at the now dark sky.  
  
"You've been busy." Koshino said.  
  
"Yes." Mitsui closed his eyes. "I guess I have."  
  
Several minutes passed by and they both just laid there. The minutes turned to half an hour. Only then did Koshino sit up and smiled down at Mitsui. "I'm hungry. Let's go to your place, change and then go for dinner."  
  
"Yes, o mighty one." Mitsui got up and dusted his clothes. "Shall we?"  
  
"Lead the way!"  
  
They made their way back to Mitsui's apartment, and both took a quick shower and changed in to clean clothes. Koshino did remember to bring a set of clothes to change into. Both boys bounded out of the building once again and headed for a Chinese restaurant. Koshino ordered fried noodles, dumplings, buns, chicken and some soft drinks. Both teenagers ate and told each other stories about what has been happening on their side of town. Apparently Rukawa and Sakuragi had gone hiking in Mt. Fuji. Mitsui just could imagine how romantic it must be to be in such a breath-taking place. Dinner had turned out lovely. On their way home, they passed by a musical instrument shop. Mitsui found a black electric guitar with lightning sequences in blue on it. He smiled when he remembered how he learned how to play that instrument. Tetsuo had taught him. Who would have thought that the local big bad boy would know how to play an electric guitar? It was him who fired Mitsui's passion for the instrument. It was just a bit sad that he no longer play it anymore.  
  
"It's nice isn't it?" Koshino asked, noticing how Mitsui has been staring at the instrument for quite some time.  
  
"Yes. It is a fine piece." Mitsui nodded, his eyes still locked on the guitar.  
  
"Do you know how to play it?" Koshino asked. Mitsui turned towards his direction and began to look at him in a funny way. "Sempai?"  
  
"No." Mitsui said, shaking his head. "I - I don't know how to play an electric guitar." He answered, shrugging but once again looking at the instrument. "I don't know how to play an electric guitar." He repeated. He wondered what possessed him to lie to Koshino. Was it the look in the shorter boy's eyes? Those unknown emotions that lay hidden beneath those dark depths? He did not know. But there was something - something that told him to hide something very personal. "Let's go home."  
  
Koshino followed Mitsui in silence, every once in a while looking behind him at the shop Mitsui had allowed his attention to linger for a long time. Koshino did not understand what was going on.  
  
*  
  
  
  
Koshino spent the night in Mitsui's apartment. After their dinner, they had taken a shower and changed in to their pajamas. Koshino had left a few clothes in his unoccupied room so that he did not have to worry about a set of change.  
  
The night had been peaceful, and both boys spent their evening sitting in front of the TV watching some cheesy movie that was on. Koshino sat in one end of the couch, knees drawn to his chest. Mitsui occasionally would flick glances towards him, and noticed that the younger boy's head was lolling occasionally.  
  
"You know, you can go to sleep." Mitsui announced, his eyes laughing.  
  
"Don't you ever feel alone here sempai? It's very quiet." Koshino mumbled.  
  
"Sometimes." He said, stretching his arms. "I am alone, Koshino. I learned it a long time ago, the hard way." He said, and sighed, switching the TV off. "It is quiet around here and I do miss Kannagawa, but I made this decision, so I will have to bear the burdens of the consequences." He turned to find Koshino staring at him with some unknown glow in his eyes.  
  
"You're so -" Koshino stared at his eyes, and then trailed down to his nose then finally to his lips. He blinked, and then looked up in to his eyes again. "You're so brave sempai."  
  
"No Koshino." Mitsui said, staring back. "I'm just a survivor."  
  
Silence plagued the room that I became so loud, that it was deafening. Koshino opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly stopped. He buried his face in his hands and sighed. "Sempai, have you ever been in any sort of relationship?"  
  
Mitsui blinked. "Not in a serious one."  
  
"How do you mean?" Koshino looked up at him.  
  
"Before Rukawa and Hanamichi got together, Rukawa and I were -" Mitsui pursed his lips in thought. "How do you put it nicely? Fuck buddies?" Koshino's eyes widened a bit. "Yup! It was more like relief. Never took it serious, until one day, I told Rukawa that it had to stop, and that he should find himself someone whom he could share a relationship with." Mitsui quirked his eyebrows. "Never occurred to me that he would go after the red head. Freshmen - they never cease to surprise me, you know?"  
  
Koshino felt a smile tug his lips. "I might sound a little bit sentimental or sappy, but if there is one thing in this world that you'd wish to have, what would it be, sempai?"  
  
Mitsui turned towards him again, tilting his head a bit. He thought about it. What would be the one thing that he'd want to have? He'd want happiness and peace, and someone that would love him back. Someone that he'd see himself getting old with, someone to share sweet memories and to hold during the cold and empty nights. A smile slowly tugged at his lips.  
  
"I'll answer that next time, Koshino." Koshino blinked as Mitsui got to his feet. He patted Koshino's head and messed up his hair. "Get some sleep."  
  
Koshino swatted Mitsui's hand away, a scowl on his face. Mitsui laughed and continued messing up the silken strands with two hands. Koshino got annoyed and with all his might, tackled the taller boy to the ground as they both began to wrestle. Koshino was dominant at first, but the tables turned and Mitsui had him pinned on the ground, his wrists on the sides of his head. Mitsui smirked down at him, but his expression changed when he saw Koshino's face filled with cold fear. His face complexion had gone extremely pale, and his eyes were wide, pupils dilated, and his breathing has gone faster.  
  
"Please." He begged. "Be gentle. Please don't hurt me."  
  
Mitsui quickly released him, pulling himself off the shorter boy. "Koshino, I - I would never hurt you."  
  
Koshino quickly got to his feet, and muttered a soft apology, followed by an almost inaudible good night and headed for his bedroom. Mitsui stared at his hands, the very hands that held Koshino's wrists. He then looked up once more to stare at the doorway Koshino had walked through.  
  
One thought flashed in to his mind. Did I do something bad?  
  
*  
  
The next day, Mitsui found Koshino in the kitchen, sitting on a stool, his head resting in his folded arms on the kitchen counter, a cup of black coffee beside him. There was a packet of cereal and an empty bowl waiting to be used, an apple and a knife. Mitsui sat across him and waited for Koshino to move. When he got no response, he cleared his throat.  
  
"Good morning." He said, taking the cereal and pouring some in to the bowl.  
  
Koshino slowly looked up and he looked terrible. There were bags under his eyes, he was deathly pale, his eyes were a bit red as if he had been crying, his limbs shook from some unknown cold breeze and his hair simply hung on his face, no life in it in any form. "Good morning, sempai." His voice was low, and almost choked.  
  
"Koshino you don't look too good." Mitsui reached out to touch his forehead when Koshino suddenly flinched before he could even make skin contact. Mitsui felt offended and decided not to do anything just yet. "Do you have a headache?"  
  
"A little." Koshino mumbled. "I'm sorry."  
  
Mitsui poured some milk in to his bowl. Mitsui spared a glance at Koshino and found him staring in to his cup of coffee. "Forget it, Koshino." He said, and took some aspirins from one of the kitchen cupboards, and gave two to Koshino. "Here."  
  
"Thanks." Koshino swallowed it without another word, before allowing his head to drop in to his folded arms again. Mitsui ate his breakfast in silence, and began to clear up. Koshino was still in his half sitting, half bent position, unmoved.  
  
"I'll be in the flower shop, okay? Need anything, I'll be down stairs." Mitsui said, and headed for the entrance.  
  
"Bye." Koshino mumbled, and Mitsui left for work.  
  
The flower shop was already packed. Mitsui quickly began to help Yoji with the orders, fixing up a bouquet for one customer, then cashing their payment, then taking in another order - the chain just went on and on. By mid-afternoon, Mitsui had a headache. His shift was over, and there he was sitting on one of the stools in the flower shop, his palms on his brows.  
  
"You okay?" Yoji nudged him.  
  
"I'm fine." He lied.  
  
"Don't look to good."  
  
"I have a headache."  
  
"That's bad." Yoji shook something in front of him. Mitsui looked up and found Yoji handing him a bottle of aspirins. "Take some."  
  
"Thanks." Mitsui mumbled and took two, swallowing them dry. His headache was a bit too much. He was exhausted from running about, carrying plants and pots. He shakily got to his feet and tried to stand, but his knees buckled and he felt himself falling.  
  
"Whoa!" Yoji stuck his hands out just in time to catch Mitsui. "Easy there, Mit-chan!" Mitsui gave him a glare about the nickname. "What? Mit-chan sounds cute on you." Yoji winked. "Come on!" Yoji wrapped Mitsui's arm around his shoulders and held him by the waist. "I'll help you upstairs."  
  
"Thanks." Mitsui breathed out shakily, as he made his way up the stairs to his apartment, Yoji helping him. He unlocked his door and entered, and was a bit surprised to find the place extra clean. "Would you like a drink?"  
  
"Sure!" Yoji said, smiling and sitting himself on the couch. Mitsui disappeared in to the kitchen and found a plate with a sub-sandwich and some salad waiting for him. He knew that Koshino had left for Kannagawa, because leaving a snack on the table was a trademark of his, like a word of thanks, only in a more materialistic way.  
  
Mitsui searched for some beer and went outside, handing one to Yoji. "So you and Koshino are together or something?"  
  
Mitsui nearly choked on his drink. "What?" He gave Yoji his my-eyes-are- popping-out-because-of-what-you-just-said.  
  
"Oh come one!" Yoji waved a hand, shaking his head, his wavy mop of blonde hair swinging with his head's movement a bit.  
  
"What do you mean come on? Koshino is my friend, for crying out loud." Mitsui said, taking a long nervous sip from his can of beer.  
  
"Oh I get it!" Yoji said, smirking. Mitsui looked up from his can, and raised an eyebrow towards the blonde. "You like him, but he doesn't know you like him. Or is it love now?"  
  
Mitsui blushed a bit. Really, Yoji Kudou had a way with people. He can make the most complicated things look simple and child's play. He was a great guy, a bit of a playboy, but a great guy never the less. He's easy to talk too, and he's got style - although the style he uses tended to tilt towards the gothic fashion, nevertheless, he was still a great guy.  
  
"It's none of that!" Mitsui said, drinking again from his can. "Why would you assume things like that anyway, Yoji-san?"  
  
"I don't assume, Mit-chan! I know these things. It's so obvious." Yoji threw his arm behind the couch, looking at Mitsui from above the rim of his expensive sunglasses. "I've seen the way you look at him, the way you seem to be rather extra nice."  
  
"That does not prove anything." Mitsui defended.  
  
"Oh it proves a lot." Yoji said, smirking again. "Believe me, I know these things." Mitsui simply shrugged. "So are you two together?"  
  
"No, we're not!" Mitsui said again, blushing. "He's a friend, and will remain as one."  
  
"With you hurting in the background?" Yoji asked, emptying his can of beer. "Don't worry Mitsui, I've been through that phase before. It's hard, but if you don't do anything about, you'll hurt even more, especially if that special someone found someone else."  
  
"What do you mean?" Mitsui asked.  
  
"I mean," Yoji stood up and tilted Mitsui's face up towards his. "You should think about it." Mitsui blushed beetroot at their closeness, sure, Yoji was a great guy, but he was also sexy, irresistible and gorgeous. "Think about it, Mit-chan." He whispered, jade eyes flashing. "You never know how much one really means to you until they're gone." Mitsui nodded, and Yoji straightened, sauntering towards the door. "Good night, Mit-chan!"  
  
The door closed lightly.  
  
Mitsui stared at his can of beer. His mind was suddenly blank.  
  
TBC  
  
This is a short one. Normally, I write 9 pages in MS Word, but this is only 8 pages. Yah, I like writing long.  
  
Eye candy, minna? 


	7. Part 7

I have kept this in the back of my mind - oops?  
  
But now that I'm back and free, I'm going to finish it! It's a loooooong way, but I'll make it nevertheless. It's just that sometimes I get a bit carried away with my Yami No Matsuei fics that I forget about the rest that are unfinished.  
  
A Note to all readers: Remember that Weiss boys are florists by day and assassins by night. Also keep in mind that they deal with crimes anywhere and anytime. Also, Mitsui and the other SD boys know them as florists, not as assassins. So, there might be a few surprises, which may affect the lives of our SD boys. I've also decided to write a few scenes from out Weiss boys POV, when they are with Mitsui or any other SD bishounen.  
  
Anyway, on with the story.  
  
  
  
TO HOLD ON 7  
  
  
  
Mitsui took his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose, wincing, trying to shoo away the headache that was slowly eating away at his head. The apartment had been extremely quiet for the past seven months since university started. Mitsui felt as if he had been run over by a truck, as if an iceberg was just placed on his back, as if he just drowned in water, as if he just banged his head several times on the wall all in one time.  
  
He opened his eyes and stared at the pile of books that he had to finish reading by that night. He still had round about two hundred fifty pages in total to read, his final exams were nearing. He had round about five days till his finals. University life had been all right at the beginning, until their winter break ended. From that point on, everything had gone haywire - for Mitsui at least. He had to quit all his part time jobs, because there simply wasn't enough time anymore.  
  
Mitsui's current condition was really bad. The Japan Electrical Association (JEA) was threatening to cut off his electricity if he did not pay his bill, which he had not paid in four months. His apartment was a mess, as if a tornado had just swept past it. There were papers in ever corner, books and encyclopedias, pens that had long-ago ran out of ink, research material, and the occasional wrappers of cereal bars. The kitchen was empty, save for the growing pile of used dishes and his laundry pile was growing taller and taller.  
  
Mitsui himself looked as if he just got out of the Sahara desert. His hair fell below his shoulders - much longer than the hairdo he used to wear during his gangster days. He had a dirty beard growing, since had not shaved for some time now, making him look more rugged. He had bags under his eyes, and his body - oh listen to that one! All his clothes literally hang from his body. He now rivaled any anorexic's body frame. He looked so thin, that his bones stuck out for the naked eye to see. He no longer was the healthy and athletic boy he was nearly a year ago. He was now a walking bag of bones. The reason behind it was quite simple. He had one pattern to follow nowadays, and that is, wake up, shower, go to university, study, come home, study, take a shower, study, do homework, study, study, study, sleep. Then the chain itself repeats again, and again, and again. Even his weekends had no time for social affairs. Eating was out of the question. He now survived on instant coffee and breakfast cereal bars. He knew it was a bad thing, but he did not have any other choice.  
  
Sighing again, he picked up the mug beside him and took a long drink of the scalding hot black coffee that burned his throat and shook him awake again. His taste buds were now a bit numb to anything beyond coffee and apple breakfast cereal bars. Pushing away the cup, he picked up another textbook and began to read the black and white prints.  
  
It was now two in the morning.  
  
*  
  
Mitsui woke up at the loud knocking in his front door. He rubbed his eyes groggily and shakily got to his feet, nearly tripping on a folder on the floor of his living room. He opened the door to find Aya, his redhead neighbor standing before him with his arms folded across his chest.  
  
"Yes, Aya-san?" He asked, yawning.  
  
"Were you up late last night?" Aya asked. Mitsui yawned, and rubbed his eyes again, before nodding at Aya's direction. "Tokyo University is closed for the next forty-eight hours." Mitsui stared at him as if he had gone slowly insane. "Don't give me that look, Mitsui! You should be thankful! Look at your state!"  
  
"My state?" Mitsui looked down at himself to find that he was wearing jeans that were threatening to fall off his hips, and his shirt had ink blotches on them. "What about my state? I look fine!"  
  
"Any normal person with a functioning brain would say otherwise." Aya said in his deep baritone voice. "You're a mess. I suggest you pull yourself together and make use of these two days off to get your apartment to look like a normal apartment."  
  
"Yes Aya-san." Mitsui replied. For some odd reason, Aya was more of like an older brother to him. For seven months, the redhead, although cold, was always supporting him in a very indirect manner.  
  
Aya would pick him up from university or drop him off in his spare time. He helps him with his homework, helps him study for exams, buys him school supplies when he ran out, and sometimes even gets him a few clothes when he couldn't go and buy himself - either he did not really care or he was just too broke. Aya, unlike Yoji was responsible. He was actually very paternal in a withdrawn manner. Yoji is a good friend, the type to talk your personal troubles with, to ask advice about relationships, and sometimes he too can be a bit paternal. But Aya was different. Aya stood out. He may be cold, but he was delicate and kind too. Mitsui found himself listening to Aya, as if he was his real older brother. He didn't mind. Aya pushed him to work hard. Encouraged him in a not-so-nice manner. 'In the end, you only have yourself, and no one else' was something he said a long time ago, after the winter holidays. Every time Mitsui remembered those words, he pushed himself to the limit to work hard.  
  
"Take a shower, change and come to the flower shop. It's closed today. I'll wait for you downstairs." Aya turned to leave, and Mitsui stepped back in to his apartment.  
  
He padded like a zombie towards the bathroom and took a hot shower. He stepped out and stood in front of the sink, blindly looking for his toothbrush. He squeezed some fluoride toothpaste that was running out, and began to brush his teeth, his eyes not meeting the mirror once. Gargling, he wiped his mouth with his towel, before wrapping it around his waist.  
  
Only then did he meet his reflection. He blinked at the stranger in the mirror. His hair hung like strips of leather from his head, his eyes were sunken and the bags under them were very visible. He reached out for the electric shaver that he never really used for quite some time now and began to get rid of the facial hair that was not supposed to be there in the first place. With that done, he ran his fingers through his dripping hair and took note that he looked like he was a gangster again. He never knew that. He lifted his skinny arms, and saw his ribs protruding from his flesh - if he had any. He grimaced at the bones he saw. He poked himself hard to see if he had any resistance and gave out a painful scream when he did. He hardly had any resistance at all. He watched as a bruise began to form in the area he just poked. He cursed and walked out of the bathroom, and in to his messy room.  
  
He threw open his closet and looked about for what to wear. He noticed that his closet was next to being empty, save for the pair of black low waist jeans he used when clubbing back in his gangster days and a body hugging v- necked top, he had nothing else. He took them out, and pulled them on, and cursed again when the pants hung loose and the shirt looked three sizes too big for him.  
  
"I'm that skinny?" He mumbled and searched for a belt. He had to punch in new holes in order to wear it. He put on his shoes, grabbed a cereal bar and headed for the door. He passed by the hallway mirror and stopped. He did not like the way his hair looked like. He searched for a rubber band and tied his hair up in a ponytail, the shorter locks in the front falling at the sides of his face. Satisfied, he left his apartment and headed for the flowershop. He used the backdoor, and found Aya sitting in the backroom, a cup of coffee in hand. It was only ten in the morning after all.  
  
Aya turned to look at him and eyed his clothes. He then saw the breakfast cereal that was making its way to Mitsui's mouth and in lightning speed, he rushed forward and jerked it off his hand. "No more of these!" Mitsui blinked. "You've grown dangerously too thin for your own good. Your under weight for your height." He gestured him to follow. They headed outside and climbed up the apartment's staircase. "When was the last time you ate a proper meal?"  
  
"Christmas." Mitsui replied honestly. He could never lie to Aya, and he never understood why.  
  
"Christmas. December. It's June now. You realize how many months have passed?" Mitsui gulped. Aya unlocked the apartment he, Omi, Yoji and Ken shared and lead Mitsui to the kitchen. He gestured towards the stool. "Sit down Mitsui."  
  
Mitsui sat, and watched with sleepy eyes how Aya moved around the kitchen. He didn't really know what Aya was on about. He didn't even know what was going on around him. He folded his arms on the kitchen table and dropped his head on them, closing his eyes. He was so tired.  
  
A short time passed, and he felt a hand shake him lightly. The smell of food filled his nostrils. He looked up to find omelets, sausages, star fruit, toast and a glass of milk in front of him. "You see all that Mitsui?" Aya asked. Mitsui nodded. "You're going to eat all of them." Mitsui nodded. "You know what happens if you don't?" Mitsui shook his head. "I'll kill you." Mitsui gulped. "Eat."  
  
Mitsui picked up the toast and took a bite. It tasted weird, foreign for sometime. He took another bite and suddenly it tasted wonderful. Just the right amount of buttery flavor. He took the fork and lifted a sausage. He took a bite and felt its juiciness melt in his mouth. He suddenly felt so ignorant, like a street child who just had the opportunity to eat a proper meal. Aya was beside him, drinking coffee again, as he continued eating. He cleaned up everything in front of him.  
  
"How do you feel?" Aya asked.  
  
One word came to Mitsui's mind. "Alive."  
  
*  
  
Mitsui lied curled in the couch in the apartment of his neighbors. He was deep in slumber, while Aya sat opposite him, a book on his lap. Outside, there was the roar of the vacuum cleaner and the shuffling of feet. Aya had called a cleaning agency to come over and do Mitsui's apartment. One look at Mitsui, and one would feel sorry for him.  
  
Mitsui is a survivor, and Aya found it courageous and patient for a young guy like him to face the things he was facing now. He had been in the young man's apartment and saw the warnings sent by JEA regarding his electricity payment. Without thinking, Aya had phoned Yoji who happened to be near one of the offices of JEA and asked him to pay the bill, putting it on his tab. He also asked Yoji to get some clothes for the boy, along with a few groceries. He stayed with Mitsui, who fell asleep on their couch right after having a good breakfast.  
  
Now, as Mitsui lay asleep, he looked like a little lost boy, who just came off the streets. Aya sighed and stood up, going to his room and taking out a blanket. He wrapped it around the sleeping boy and pulled the blinders closed. He then went to the kitchen and prepared himself another cup of coffee.  
  
*  
  
Mitsui felt a shake on his shoulders. He winced a bit and groaned, shooing the hand that was shaking him awake. He grabbed hold of the blanket covering him and pulled it over his head.  
  
"Mitsui! Mitsui, wake up."  
  
Mitsui groaned again and began to mumble. "Leave me alone, I want to sleep."  
  
"Wake up! Now!"  
  
Mitsui pulled the blanket down and blinked his way to reality. He found Aya towering above him and he sat up, rubbing his eyes. He felt refreshed, as if he was born a new man. "How long have I been asleep?" Mitsui asked.  
  
"About eight hours." Aya replied and turned the lights on. "You missed lunch."  
  
"I did?" Mitsui asked, rubbing his eyes again. He looked up and found Yoji sitting opposite him, a glass of wine in hand.  
  
"Yo Mit-chan!" He greeted, raising his glass filled with red liquid. Mitsui titled his head a bit to the right, simply watching Yoji. "Good morning to you too, sleepyhead."  
  
"Here." Aya handed Mitsui a set of folded clothes. Mitsui in return simply stared at it. "Those should fit you just fine. Go and change. We're going out to dinner."  
  
"We are?" Yoji asked, turning towards Aya.  
  
"I'm taking Mitsui to dinner. You can come if you want." Aya replied, and pointed to the bathroom down the hall. "Change."  
  
Mitsui stood up shakily and made his way to the bathroom. He realized that the apartment was much bigger than his own. It had four bedrooms instead of three. He shrugged and entered the bathroom. He splashed cold water on his face, just to rub the sleep off and dried his face with the towel on the rack. He began to strip his loose clothes off and pulled on the pair of baggy jeans Aya gave him. It was loose by an inch on the waist. He pulled on a black t-shirt with No Fear written at the back in red. He combed his hair with the comb by the mirror and tied it up in a ponytail again. He took note that his clothes did not make him look too thin. They actually made him look normal. He also realized that the clothes weren't his at all.  
  
He left the bathroom and went back to the living room. "Anou, Aya-san. These are not mine." Yoji was in the balcony, the glass closed. He was leaning against the railing and smoking a cigarette.  
  
"Yes they are." Aya said. "I got them for you."  
  
Instantly, Mitsui's pride kicked in. "Aya-san, I don't need pity."  
  
"It's not pity, Mitsui. It's called help." Aya replied.  
  
"Whatever." Mitsui snapped.  
  
"Mitsui, look at yourself!" Aya snapped, instantly making Mitsui jump. "You call yourself okay? You were okay before Christmas, but now, you wouldn't even pass for alive." Mitsui looked at his toes. "Look, Mitsui. I like you! You're a great kid! I have no one else to look after as younger sibling. My only sister died last year in her coma, and she was like you. Hard working, kind, tough when she wants to be, and sincere. That's why I help you Mitsui. Because I know you will succeed, and if doing things like these will make the path easier, and I can provide it - I will! It's not pity Mitsui! I'm doing this because I want too! Understand?"  
  
Mitsui felt remorse. He felt terrible. His vision was getting a bit blurry. All the stress, all the problems, all the loneliness, all the pain and the fatigue - he finally lost control and in front of the one man that spoke so little, yet so passionately.  
  
"I'm sorry." Mitsui choked out. Where did all his gangster pride go? He was wondering himself. He began to think what made him so soft. What made him so kind and vulnerable. "I didn't mean to be rude." His shoulders trembled a bit, as he felt tears rolling down his cheeks. The last time he cried was when he begged Anzai to allow him to play basketball again. Warm arms circled him and hands began to stroke his hair. "I'm sorry, Aya-san."  
  
"Forget it Mitsui." He said, and continued to hold the younger boy. "It's all right."  
  
Mitsui broke down completely, his cries becoming muffled sobs.  
  
*  
  
They had not gone to dinner after all. Mitsui had fallen asleep for an hour after he cried his heart out. Aya had been right there beside him. When he woke up, Aya had called for pizzas. Mitsui ate an entire box himself, and a plate of salad. He was so hungry. Pizza had never tasted that great before.  
  
"Oh yeah, Mitsui?" Yoji said, taking a drag from his can of beer. "Koshino called while you were asleep. Classes in Kannagawa just ended. He's coming over in the weekend." Mitsui felt a smile tug at his lips. He quickly dipped his head to hide the blush and smile. He missed Koshino. They had exchanged brief conversations in the middle of the school year, both being busy and all with their own work. But now that summer holidays were coming, Mitsui was happy. He'll get to see Koshino again. "See? I told you! You like him!" Yoji teased.  
  
"Yoji-san, I do not! He's my friend! And I'll get to see him again after such a long time!" Mitsui blinked at his surroundings. "Where are Omi and Ken?"  
  
"They're both in Hokkaido. They won't be back till the summer ends." Yoji answered. Aya said nothing. "So, lover boy gets to see his love?"  
  
"Will you quit with the love thing?" Mitsui said, and blushed again. "Koshino is -"  
  
"Your friend. And will forever be one. Yada, yada, yada!" Yoji mimicked. "Yeah, yeah. So what else is new?"  
  
Yoji and Mitsui began to argue again over Mitsui's little love affair. Although behind it all, Mitsui admitted that he did love Koshino.  
  
He was so happy that Koshino was coming to Tokyo that he forgot all his fatigue.  
  
*  
  
Finals were hectic. If Mitsui looked dead then, he looked worst now. He had been fasting 24/7 for two weeks, living on water. It was his last day, and he had the entire three units of Economics to get in to his head. He was panicking because he couldn't even sit and stay still. His entire being depended on these exams, and if he flunked one subject, he'd be a kick out. He didn't want to be a kick out. He grabbed his text book and rushed next door.  
  
He rang the doorbell once, and Aya came to open it. "Mitsui? You're a mess! What's wrong?"  
  
"Aya-san, help me! I can't get a thing in to my head! What do I do? I have an exam tomorrow, and I don't want to fail. I've been trying to revise for the past three hours and nothing is going in! Is something wrong with me? What's wrong with me?" Mitsui babbled, panic etched in his features, his glasses sliding off the bridge of his nose.  
  
"Mitsui, listen to yourself." Aya said coolly, opening the door wider and letting Mitsui in to the neat apartment. A week after Mitsui's apartment had been cleaned, it returned to its normal messy state. "You're babbling." Aya plucked the book off Mitsui's hand and began to skim through it. "Have a seat Mitsui, relax."  
  
"Relax? What do you mean by 'relax'?" Mitsui gasped. His long hair wild, which was now till his waist. His hair grows really fast. "I have less than twelve hours to get three units in to my head! I mean I've studied them before, but - but - but still!"  
  
"Listen to yourself, Mitsui." Aya merely replied, eyes not leaving the textbook. "Yoji! Mitsui's here. Give him a can of beer."  
  
Just then, Yoji's head popped out from the kitchen doorway. "Yo Mit-chan! One beer comin' right up!"  
  
"I have no time for beer!" Mitsui mumbled. Yoji approached him and handed him the can, before pushing him down on the couch and standing behind him. "Look, Yoji-san, you are being very kind, but - " He was cut off when Yoji's fingers began to massage his shoulders and neck. It felt good, for Yoji's hands were skilled and knew where to rub and where not to.  
  
"Now what is your problem?" Aya asked, looking up from the textbook, seeing that Mitsui had finally shut his mouth.  
  
"Everything." Mitsui said, and began to lean in to Yoji's fingers once again, the blonde man having a very satisfying smirk on his handsome face.  
  
"Okay, unit one." Aya began to explain every unit to Mitsui.  
  
By the time they were finished, it was already two in the morning and Mitsui had never been this prepared in all his life.  
  
*  
  
Mitsui staggered home from university, his long waist-length hair looking a lot more sloppier than usual. He had passed by Dunkin Donuts and treated himself to one donut, since it was the only thing he could afford at the moment. Summer began the moment he stepped out of the examination hall, and now he will need to find some jobs to earn money. He's running low on a lot of things.  
  
He took a bite off his donut and went through the back door of the flower shop. He was surprised to find it closed, especially at twelve in the afternoon. He knocked twice and pushed the door open, and found Yoji and Aya in a lip lock.  
  
"Sorry!" He yelped and choked on his donut. He shut the door behind him and staggered by the wall, thumping at his chest and trying to catch his breath. He felt a hard slap on his back, and choking feeling was gone, but his bones were not grateful. He still needed to put on weight.  
  
"So how did your exam go?" Aya asked, rubbing his back in gentle circles. Yoji appeared from behind him, a cigarette lit, and watching him above the rim of his sunglasses.  
  
Mitsui nodded slowly. "It was fine. I answered all of them, and I know I'm going to pass." Mitsui got an image in his mind of Yoji and Aya kissing each other again and blushed red.  
  
Yoji burst out laughing, before looping an arm around Mitsui's shoulders. "Guess what Mit-chan? Lover boy Koshy called while you were in the exam hall and asked me to pass a message to you." Mitsui scowled at the nicknames, as Yoji led him in to the backroom of the flower shop. He sat on the stool while Yoji began to massage his back again. "He won't be able to come to Tokyo as planned." Mitsui stiffened at that. Suddenly, he felt alone. "But, he said that there is a party going on in Kannagawa because of the new graduated batch. He's asking you to show up, since many of the seniors last year are showing up as well."  
  
Mitsui turned to find Aya having a ghost of a smile on his face. "Really?"  
  
"Here's your train ticket, and a few cash. Your train leaves tomorrow night at seven." Aya took out an envelope and pushed it towards Mitsui. "Pay me back by working here in the flower shop during the summer." Mitsui smiled so much and looked up at the two men in front of him with respect.  
  
"Now that's settled, let's all go out for lunch!" Yoji said, hugging Mitsui from behind and kissing his cheek. "My treat Mit-chan!"  
  
Mitsui threw all his pride and hugged Yoji and Aya.  
  
TBC  
  
Yoji and Aya are one of the few important people to Mitsui in this chapter. They're more of the older brother sort to him. Sendoh, Miyagi, Koshino and Tetsuo are important too, since they make Mitsui the person he is. Tetsuo - especially him.  
  
Oh well, that's Mitsui's university life. He does not want to get kicked out now does he? And him with waist length hair, hmmm . think of Gojyo from Gensomaden Saiyuki only with his hair till his waist. HA HA HA HA HA  
  
Okay, be nice. Eye candy? 


	8. Part 8

Okay, okay, here's part eight. Things will hopefully get exciting from this point on. Weiss boys are out of the picture for now, but will return later.  
  
Surprises are nice, aren't they? ^^  
  
  
  
TO HOLD ON 8  
  
  
  
Mitsui got out of the train and shifted the weight of his sports bag on his shoulder. The air of Kannagawa felt good on his face. He was dressed in jeans and a sleeveless Air Jordan blue top, given to him by Omi during Christmas. He looked around and made his way out of station. Tetsuo had told him to meet at their regular meeting place, which as at the harbor. He owned an apartment there. It was a single storey building, to others looking like an abandoned house. He began to make his way towards the harbor, feeling good to be home once again.  
  
The full moon was glowing above the clear waters of the harbor. There were no stars that night, and everything seemed quiet. Mitsui caught sight of a figure sitting by the edge of the docks, dressed in jeans and an old dress shirt. He smiled, knowing that it was Tetsuo. He approached him and gave him a tap on the shoulder.  
  
Tetsuo turned to glance at the person behind him. He raised an eyebrow. "What do you want?"  
  
"Tetsuo? It's me." Mitsui said.  
  
Tetsuo's cigarette fell from his lips. He got to his feet and eyed Mitsui up and down. "Sportsman?"  
  
"Not anymore, sadly." Mitsui said, shrugging.  
  
"What happened to you?" Tetsuo asked, giving Mitsui a brief hug, something they always did in private after not seeing each other for some time. When they were together, the entire bad boy attitude, the gangster pride and tough exterior vanishes. They were just good friends, almost like brothers and they acted differently. "You're so - skinny!"  
  
"Rub it in will you." Mitsui sighed. "You did not recognize me?"  
  
"Not in a million years." Tetsuo said and took Mitsui's bag that looked really heavy for his skinny frame. "Come on inside, I'll call for a pizza."  
  
They entered Tetsuo's apartment. The walls were all black, and there were neon lights lining the ceiling. There were two leather couches, a glass center table and a home theater. The kitchen was small, but had decent healthy food and a never-ending stock of beer. The apartment had two bathroom, and two bedrooms. The floors were carpeted by thick dark blue wool carpet, with no patterns. It was a very nice place to stay in.  
  
Mitsui sat down by the couch and leaned against the leather fabric. Tetsuo tossed him a can of beer, which he caught but winced at the sudden cold feeling he got. He still had very little resistance. Tetsuo had already called for a pizza, and was now sitting opposite him, drinking from his can.  
  
"You need to put on weight." He said, stating that obvious.  
  
"I know."  
  
"Are you doing something about it?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Mitsui, you have looked in to the mirror lately haven't you?"  
  
"I have."  
  
"What do you see?"  
  
"A hopeless gone case, who turned in to a full-pledged geek and a weakling."  
  
"And?"  
  
"A walking bag of bones and Tarzan's reincarnation."  
  
Tetsuo sighed. "Mitsui, you've always been a geek. You just never showed it." Mitsui shrugged. "How are things in Tokyo?"  
  
Mitsui's eyes lit up and he began to tell Tetsuo about how he met the boys at the flower shop and how they've helped him. He also began to tell Tetsuo about Koshino's visits and how they went out and had little innocent fun. Tetsuo took everything in, nodding and just listening, not making any comment.  
  
"It's been hell in university, but Tokyo is a great place. Why don't you come by?"  
  
Tetsuo shrugged. "Sure why not? When I have the time, I'll drop by." Tetsuo said, cracking his knuckles. "Who knows you're here?"  
  
"No one."  
  
"Aren't you going to tell any of your basketball buddies that you're here?" Tetsuo asked, taking a sip from his beer.  
  
"Not just yet." Mitsui smiled, twirling a lock of his jet-black hair around his finger. "Not just yet."  
  
*  
  
  
  
The party was located in one of the prestige hotels in Kannagawa. It was a formal party. Mitsui had rented himself a black tuxedo. Now, there he was standing in front of the mirror in one of the rooms of Tetsuo's apartment, staring at a complete stranger. He did look good in a tuxedo, and he settled for tying his waist length hair up in a high ponytail. His face had changed because of all the weight loss and also because from all the stress. He looked a lot older than he's supposed to.  
  
"When will my reflection show who I am inside?" He asked to himself, his eyes not leaving his reflection.  
  
"Mitsui, it's eight thirty already! You're already half an hour late." Tetsuo hollered from the living room.  
  
Mitsui stepped out and looked up at Tetsuo, who gave him an appreciative nod. They both mounted Tetsuo's black Harley and drove off to the night.  
  
They arrived the hotel ten minutes later, thanks to Tetsuo's sense of good direction; they managed to dodge the heavy night traffic. The hotel was brightly lit and had red and blue laser lights crisscrossing the building. There was a big banner in the front reading 'Congratulations Kannagawa Batch 2002'.  
  
"Have fun!" Tetsuo said and drove off, leaving Mitsui to stare behind him for some time.  
  
Sighing, Mitsui made his way in to the building, and in to the ballroom. He saw many of his old friends, but not one of them gave him a glance, and even if they did, it would be a mere curious look. Not one person recognized him. He smirked. It was funny. He could not wait to see the looks on their faces when they finally knew who he really was.  
  
"Have a good evening Rukawa-san." Hikoichi said, taking a board with a pen and paper on it that Rukawa had just signed. Hikoichi's eyes fell on Mitsui, but no flicker of recognition came in to the talkative boy's eyes. "Good evening sir. Please sign this guest list." He smiled and handed the board to Mitsui. Mitsui looked up and found Rukawa looking at him with a look of assessment on his face.  
  
"You are -" Rukawa gasped a little bit.  
  
Mitsui smirked and signed his name on the guest list. He handed it to Hikoichi who gave him a 'Thank you and have a wonderful evening sir'. He raised an eyebrow at Rukawa whose eyes widened.  
  
"Mitsui-san!" Hikoichi yelled at the top of his lungs, his eyes wide as they fell upon Mitsui. Many eyes turned towards him. Mitsui felt his eyebrows twitch at Hikoichi's loud mouth.  
  
"Greetings to you too, Hikoichi my friend." Mitsui said, forcing a smile.  
  
Sakuragi, Kogure, Sendoh, Miyagi, Ayako, Maki, Jin, Fujima and Kiyota approached him and gave him a shocked look. Mitsui felt so small under their gazes.  
  
"Oh my god!" Sendoh exclaimed. "Mitsui-kun! You look so - different!"  
  
Mitsui turned to look at Rukawa, who had something in his eyes that he only knew as want. He looked about and found Koshino gaping at him. He cleared his throat and adjusted his black tie.  
  
"Okay, now will you guys quit it?" He said. " Do I look like some freak to you?"  
  
All eyes quickly looked away and everyone gave him a proper friendly greeting. He laughed at a few jokes and hugged old friend. Koshino had been so happy to see him that they hugged for a long time.  
  
"You look very handsome Mitsui." Kogure commented, smiling. "A little bit thin, but very handsome."  
  
Mitsui swallowed, blushing. "Uh - thanks." He received several similar comments from many other students and the blush on his cheeks never left his face.  
  
As the night progressed, Mitsui grew tired. The buffet had been wonderful. People were very nice as they all exchanged tales on where they will end up and what they plan to do. He sat himself by the bar, getting himself a can of beer. Koshino appeared and sat beside him, giving him a small smile.  
  
"You've changed a lot sempai." He said, not meeting his eyes.  
  
"Aren't you going to tell me that I look absolutely sexy and desirable?" Mitsui teased, looking at him from the corner of his eye as he took a long drink from his beer.  
  
"No. I'm going to tell you that you look like you just came out of a famine." Koshino said and looked at his watch. Mitsui shrugged. He always knew that Koshino told him the truth. "I got accepted in Tokyo University."  
  
"Really?" Mitsui asked, turning his full attention towards Koshino.  
  
"Yeah, multimedia and internet." He said, rubbing his knuckles. Koshino was dressed in a blue tuxedo with his hair gelled and much shorter than it used to be. "Scholarship."  
  
"That's great!" Mitsui said smiling. "At least there will be a familiar face around!"  
  
"Sempai, is it all right if I -"  
  
"Stay with me?" Mitsui finished and Koshino nodded. "That's a dumb question Koshino." Mitsui finished off his beer. "Of course you can!"  
  
"Miyagi and Sendoh are going to St. Adam College. You know? The college a block away from Tokyo Uni?" Mitsui nodded. "They're there for computer engineering and to play for the team." Mitsui raised both his eyebrows. "Well, I was just thinking, since they're still together and everything, maybe they could come with us. You know, in the other room you have? The green one?"  
  
"Uh-huh." Mitsui nodded. "Sure! That would be great! More faces, more fun, and more people to split the chores with!" Mitsui winked at Koshino who laughed silently.  
  
"It's very nice to see you again sempai." He said sincerely. They stared at each other silently for a while before the sound of Koshino's cell phone ringing shook them out of their reverie. "Hello?" Koshino said, paling. "Of course. Right away." He hung up and took a look at his wristwatch. "Well, I've got to go. Please take care sempai. How long are you going to be here in Kannagawa?"  
  
"A week." Mitsui answered, sad of Koshino's departure.  
  
"Why don't we meet up again?" Koshino said, forcing a smile on his pale face. "We can all go out. You know, like olden times?"  
  
"That would be nice." Mitsui said, trying to look happy.  
  
"Well, I'll see you then."  
  
"Bye."  
  
He watched Koshino leave. Once the younger boy was out of his field of vision, Mitsui rubbed his temples. He called for another beer. Soft music was playing in the background, and many couples were slow dancing. Mitsui rolled his eyes as he drowned his thoughts with the bitter liquid. As he was drinking his third can, he felt a tap on his shoulder.  
  
"Sempai."  
  
"Ah! Rukawa!" Mitsui raised his can of beer. 'How have you been?"  
  
"I'm all right." The taller pale boy answered. "May I have this dance?"  
  
Mitsui looked up at Rukawa and blinked, but smiled. "Sure!"  
  
Rukawa led Mitsui to the dance floor and led him. Mitsui had remained silent, until he looked up and found Rukawa looking down at him. He suddenly felt want course through his veins. Rukawa looked absolutely dashing in his black Armani suit. Mitsui tightened his hold on Rukawa's waist.  
  
"Let's go." Rukawa said, and took Mitsui's hand in his and led him out of the hotel. They rushed back to Rukawa's estate, the whole time their bodies glued together. Once they were in the doorway, Rukawa slammed it shut and locked it. Mitsui did not give him time to think. He simply pulled the younger boy's face towards his and began to kiss him for all that he was worth.  
  
Rukawa wasted no time either. He pulled Mitsui's thin frame towards his healthy and lithe one and began to run his pale hands all over Mitsui's torso. How they managed to make it into the living room was beyond them. Clothes trailed all the way from the front door towards the living room. Rukawa nearly ripped Mitsui's tuxedo off him.  
  
"Watch it!" Mitsui hissed before the taller boy claimed his lips once again. "I'm broke and any damage to that thing I'll have to pay."  
  
"Doesn't matter." Rukawa said and pushed Mitsui to the carpeted floor in the middle of the living room.  
  
Mitsui winced and groaned as his bones collided with the hard floor. He felt his vision blur for a while but he began to see colors when he felt his manhood being claimed expertly by Rukawa's skilled mouth. He grabbed Rukawa's raven locks and tightened his grip on them.  
  
"Take me. Take me now!" He ordered hoarsely and Rukawa merely obliged. He pushed himself with one strong thrust deep in to the warmth of Mitsui's entrance. Mitsui howled in pain. "Fucking hell, damnit! Ever heard of lubricant?"  
  
"You were impatient." Rukawa stated, his breathing ragged and his cheeks flushed.  
  
"And what would you be?"  
  
"An obedient boy."  
  
Mitsui managed to smirk amidst all the pain he felt. It was like being ripped in two and his mind was swimming in a million directions. He felt Rukawa shift and moaned as he felt Rukawa's pulsating length twitch inside him. Rukawa began to move in and out of him, pushing inside him and hitting his pleasure spot with each thrust. Mitsui gave out a loud cry when he finally came, spilling white liquid all over Rukawa's abs, who came a few seconds later. He collapsed on top of Mitsui, his face on the senior's neck, breathing coming out in fast loud gasps. He withdrew himself a few minutes later, both of them shivering as they separated from each other. Rukawa rolled himself towards Mitsui's left side and propped himself on one shoulder.  
  
"You're beautiful." He said.  
  
"One person says otherwise." Mitsui said, as Rukawa began to play with his long black hair.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Koshino."  
  
"Sendoh's friend?" Mitsui nodded. "You're beautiful after sex, dimwit. Your long hair - they're amazing."  
  
"I want to cut it. It's getting a bit annoying." Mitsui said. "It makes me look even skinnier."  
  
Rukawa leaned closed and began to kiss his lips once again, before turning his attention toward the scar on his chin. "It's true. You're very skinny. Are you in pain?"  
  
"It doesn't matter."  
  
"As you wish." Rukawa said and brushed a loch of his long hair away from his face. "You like Koshino?"  
  
"I love him."  
  
"Does he know?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Will he ever know?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I'm scared."  
  
"Gangster boy is scared?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"A softy too."  
  
"I know."  
  
Silence rang in the air. Rukawa laid his head on the beige carpet and looked up at the ceiling. "You should tell him, before you loose him."  
  
"Someday, when I have enough courage." Mitsui said. He then remembered Sakuragi. "What happened with you and Sakuragi?"  
  
"He thinks I'm cheating him for Maki." Mitsui burst out laughing at Rukawa's bland statement. "He said he wouldn't talk to me for the next two weeks. That means no kisses, no sex. And I'm a growing boy. A growing boy needs his food and sex. Sue me for being horny when you came in to the picture."  
  
"Once fuck buddies, always fuck buddies." Mitsui said, smiling. "I needed that."  
  
"Up for round two?" Rukawa asked.  
  
"Where's the lube?"  
  
*  
  
A week later after going out with friends and sex with Rukawa every night, Mitsui was heading back for Tokyo, this time with Koshino, who put his family house up for rent and had all his belongings packed. Miyagi and Sendoh would follow next month. They still had two months of holidays to kill.  
  
Mitsui led Koshino up to his apartment. "Welcome to your new home."  
  
Koshino smiled weakly and nodded. "My new home."  
  
Mitsui got himself a job at a pizza parlor as a waiter for the evenings and worked in the car wash in the mornings. He earned himself a hundred thousand yen by the end of each week. It was very little considering how much he had to pay and how much he needed. His aunt sent him a check of six hundred thousand yen, which he immediately put in to a bank as an investor's account. His temporary jobs will have to do for all the things he needed. He worked non-stop and took Aya's offer to work in the flower shop during the afternoons.  
  
Koshino however was another case. He left the apartment everyday at three in the afternoon after doing chores and would come three in the next morning. His whereabouts were not known, but Mitsui could see that he came home extremely tired and weary. Mitsui pretended that Koshino was all right and occasionally would ask him if was fine or if he needed anything. The answer would always be the same.  
  
"I'm all right. Don't worry your head over me."  
  
But Mitsui did worry his head over him. The entire summer was the same. He worked non-stop and Koshino apparently worked non-stop. The only difference in the end was Miyagi and Sendoh were with them. And those two were not the quietest people when night falls.  
  
Mitsui buried his head under his pillow. Koshino wasn't home yet and the two next door was going at it like mad. He bit his lips and winced.  
  
"Where is Rukawa when you need him?" He said in despair and vainly tried to go to sleep.  
  
The next day, he woke up with bags under his eyes.  
  
TBC  
  
Woohoo! Done that! Yes! So what do you think? Poor Mitsui - he needs a good lay. Should I have Yoji and Aya do a threesome with him? HA HA HA HA HA  
  
Eye candy? For me? Pretty please? 


	9. Part 9 Christmas Special

I rushed this! I had to get it done before Christmas, but I ended up typing it exactly 4 hours till midnight. Damn! So anyway, this is the Christmas Special for my MitKosh pairing! Oh viva la MitKosh! By the way, big jump! Very big jump! This is taking to long to end, so big jump!   
  
Merry Christmas everyone!  
  
  
  
TO HOLD ON 9  
  
  
  
Change. It was one word to describe them - all of them. Mitsui was staring at a photograph on his study table in his room. It was in an old plastic frame, a cheap imitation of wood. On the picture was himself, Sendoh beside him, while Koshino and Miyagi were kneeling in front of them. There were red autumn leaves around them and they were all smiling. Where had all that innocent smile gone, Mitsui wondered. Five years wasn't that long. It just went by so fast that it feels it was only yesterday when Koshino, Miyagi and Sendoh joined him in his apartment to study in university. Five years, really, it didn't feel like five years. Not to Mitsui at least.  
  
Placing the picture back, he pulled his glasses off and threw it on top of the open Accounting text book in front of him, lifting a hand up to his face. He had turned twenty-three seven months ago, and still it felt as if he was still seventeen, the very age he plunged in to the world of higher studies. He had put on some weight and now looked a lot normal than he did on his first year of college. He was still thin, but thin in a very attractive manner. He managed to maintain his short hair; cutting off those annoying long raven locks that made him look like a girl, despite the masculine cut of his face. He had grown two inches more, and saw the world from a different perspective. At the beginning, he thought that the world was one crazy place and that all that mattered was fun and basketball, and everything else in between. But now, reality had come hitting him full force on the face. He now knew that he was lucky to even make it this far. He now knew that fun was good till a certain level, and that money and power ruled the world. Like the saying says, 'the strong survives and weak dies'. He was no weakling, because otherwise he would have quit a long time ago.  
  
The world was a selfish place to be in, and one had to fight for his own needs. Mitsui was still fighting for it. His first year may have been hell, but from his second year onwards, it was worst. His aunt had left for Europe, transferring his allowance for the whole one year in to his investor's account, and every new school year, she would send him money. Somehow, his professors found out that he studied in the day and worked in the evening. Yes, he managed to squeeze in work in between his heavy studies. It was difficult in the beginning but he made it through, having to work in the flower shop in the afternoon after classes and studying after that. It wasted precious time, but he needed the money. His professors did not like his frank attitude and his silence, along with his serious and penetrating midnight eyes that seemed to be challenging them and irking them. Ever since their gain of knowledge on Mitsui's life, they've been pushing him down. Mitsui did not know how many times he had gone to Aya or Yoji, crying over his pathetic life. It had been hell for him that even at the sheer memory of it made him shed tears. Crying was his way out. It made him feel better. He had barely managed to keep his grades on a steady 85+, just barely. Dr. Hajime had moved to Tokyo since he got a bigger job and pay offer, and often gave him help in financial manners and did his round of check up every four months on Mitsui's knee. The doctor had been shocked at Mitsui's physical change, that he did not recognize him, if it weren't for the scar on his chin. Mitsui was actually glad the doctor was somewhere nearby. It somehow gave him peace  
  
Feeling tired, he stood up and headed out of his bedroom. Miyagi and Sendoh were engaged. Mitsui found that out last year, when they announced it to him and Koshino. Their wedding, apparently, would be the day right after graduation. Sendoh had matured, and looked more serious now than he did five years ago. He still smiled, but something about his carefree aura changed, since he too, saw the world from a new angle now. To him, it was a bittersweet place to be living in, since the reality of his future not lying with basketball alone smacked him hard. It had been painful to accept, even for Miyagi, but now it did not matter. He was doing well in his IT course, and still played for the university's team, so he got both what he loved and what he needed. Sendoh gained a few centimeters in height, and now grew his hair, keeping the top spiked while a tiny ponytail dangled by the nape of his neck. He wore specs now, since being in front of the computer 24/7 learning codes and lecture notes had ruined his eyesight. The glasses suited him, and it made him look older than his age, though he was only twenty-two and was in his final year. It was only a four-year course. He and Miyagi and Koshino would be graduating in the same year as Mitsui.  
  
Miyagi changed slightly. He was still the cheeky sophomore Mitsui fought with at the roof of Shohoku High, and was still the naïve type. He had lost his piercing, since he became allergic for some reason that he could not wear earrings anymore. He still looked the same, but grew much taller. He was now six foot three instead of six foot. He was happy about the change, and was proud of it as well. He was an average student in class and kept his grades in the lines of 80's. His weight dropped, and according to Sendoh, it made him look a lot sexier. Mitsui had ignored that comment when they were once engaged in a conversation on a rainy night some time in the years that passed. Miyagi was Miyagi, and he and Mitsui got along fine, but they kept distance.  
  
Mitsui sat in the living room, when he noticed an envelope on the coffee table. Curious, he took it and saw that it was addressed to no one. He opened it and found several old crumpled yen bills, held together by a rubber band, a small piece of paper attached with the money reading 'Water, Light and Electricity'. Mitsui felt anger rise in him. That handwriting belonged to no one else but Hiroaki Koshino. He angrily slammed the envelope back on the coffee table, standing up and heading for the kitchen, taking out a can of beer and making his way to the living room window. He took a long drag from the can of beer he had in his hand. It was not the first time Koshino did that, in fact he did it every month for the past five years.  
  
Five years ago, he thought he knew everything he had to know about Koshino. He was wrong. Ever since Koshino stepped in to his apartment for study purposes, their so-called friendship had taken another twist and plunged in to another world. Koshino disappeared every night. Mitsui could not recall one day in which Koshino did not even stay home. He was never there for Christmas, or New Year, or any other holidays in the middle of the year. He never even talked when he was home, even when he did, he did so half- heartedly and kept it mono syllabic, and made sure that he did not say anything personal. Mitsui did not know him anymore. He still loved him secretly. That kiss he felt five years ago still did wonders to him, and he was amazed with himself to even feel like that, taking a close look at their current relationship. It was next to nothing.  
  
Koshino had grown deathingly thin, but he was still attractive. He had changed his hairstyle in to something like Aya's when Mitsui first met him. Aya now had longer hair that he tied back in to a ponytail, where as Koshino had two raven ear tails framing his face. It made him look cute, sexy and a bit more feminine. His grades were in the lines of 85-95. He usually looked worn out now, a lot paler than the living. Mitsui could no longer talk to him without struggling to find the right words. He was gone by eight in the morning and was back by three in the next morning. Miyagi and Sendoh had tried speaking to him once and never tried again, since Koshino had lashed out with anger and words that none of them had ever thought he was capable of. This happened on New Year three years ago, and nobody said anything after that. Koshino worked in the flower shop in the morning of Saturdays and Sundays, and like Mitsui, he got paid.  
  
Mitsui sighed. It was their last year to be in the world of papers and books and endless days of no sleep and fatigue. He wanted it to be all right. He wanted it to be just like before. Forget about what happened in the middle, it was the present that mattered. He glanced at the clock, and it was one in the morning. Koshino was not home, and Sendoh and Miyagi had long ago gone to bed. It was exactly three days to Christmas. He was on his winter break, but that did not mean he would stop studying. Talking to Sendoh and Miyagi would be okay, Koshino would be difficult. He cared and he was going to make sure that Koshino saw that.  
  
Resolution starts tomorrow.  
  
*  
  
Koshino woke up the next morning and headed for the kitchen for something to eat. It was exactly seven thirty and he had half an hour to get ready and go to the flower shop to work on his morning shift. He was tired and did not get a wink of sleep. He had arrived four hours ago, his body aching and his head still spinning. He grabbed two pills of aspirins from the bottle on his bedside table and swallowed them dry. He groaned as he made his way to the bathroom, took a long hot shower and changed in to jeans and a gray turtleneck.  
  
When he entered the kitchen, he was surprised to find a cup of steaming coffee waiting for him, a long with two pieces of buttered toast beside it. What surprised him more was the presence of just one white rose. He did not know what to feel. It was the very first time he ever got a flower that was just meant for him alone and for no reason at all. With a nonchalant shrug, he took the rose and placed it in to one of his favorite novels back in his room and closed the page, the white blossom sticking out from the book. He headed back and ate his breakfast; glad that whoever made it - Sendoh, Miyagi or Mitsui - left it for him. As soon as he was done, it was exactly eight o'clock. He headed for the flower shop and met Aya and Ken just in time for opening. They exchanged a polite greeting and the shop opened.  
  
Koshino immediately began to work on Christmas orders handed to him by Ken, who gave Aya an identical paper and kept one for himself. It was more than ten big orders and Koshino knew that he would be on his feet without seating for the next several hours. He knew that the mob of fan girls would come attacking them an hour later. He didn't really give a damn, but one could use peace once in a while. Omi and Yoji would be managing the afternoon shift with Mitsui, who had left their apartment in the early hours of the morning to go to the library to read something, whereas Sendoh and Miyagi had hit the malls for shopping.  
  
Just as Koshino predicted, the mob of fan girls came attacking them once nine o'clock chimed. He had finished two arrangements already and Ken was getting ready to get them delivered. Koshino had managed to keep a pleasant attitude towards the girls who bought little bouquets for friends or loved ones. It was hard at the beginning but once twelve came, everything was peaceful again. Only he and Aya were left in the shop, fixing arrangements. Koshino was handling a white rose, snipping off the huge thorns before placing it amongst the yellow and red roses in front of him. He was not paying attention when he pricked his finger with one of the thorns, immediately drawing blood. He gave out a hiss, and that caught Aya's attention. Aya gave him an alcohol cotton swab.  
  
"Thank you." Koshino said politely.  
  
Aya nodded. "Be careful. White roses are far more thorny than the other roses." Aya said, and attended to his arrangement. "Do you know the meaning of the white rose, Koshino?"  
  
Curious, Koshino looked at Aya, across from his arrangement. "No."  
  
"Each flower is an emotion portrayed by the giver. A white rose signifies unrequited love or silent pain. It depends on the giver. It could mean either one or a combination of both." Aya picked up a white rose and placed it in his arrangement, tying the edge with a light blue ribbon, holding the patterned plastic together. "No matter how beautiful the white rose is, it signifies something unhappy. That's why it has more thorns than other roses. Unrequited love and silent pain are not happy things, right Koshino?" Koshino remained rooted to the spot. He did not know what to think. A white rose, it meant something to him now.  
  
"Yes, Aya-san." Koshino said, nodding. "You are right."  
  
Aya said nothing after that, and continued doing his set of orders.  
  
An hour past and it was time for the afternoon shift. Mitsui walked in to the flower shop, dusting the white snow from his coat. "Hello!" He greeted and hung his coat inside the closet hanger in the backroom. "So? What do I do?"  
  
"You're energetic today." Aya said, taking off his apron. "Here. Finish it off." He handed Mitsui a list of orders. Just then, Omi and Yoji walked in as well, both carrying colored bags that they hid in the back room, before joining Mitsui.  
  
Koshino and Mitsui's gaze met. Mitsui smiled at him, and approached him. "We're having Christmas dinner on the evening of the twenty-fourth. It's our final year." Mitsui shrugged, shoving his hands deep in to his pockets. "So I thought that perhaps we should all get together." Mitsui sighed. "I wish everything would go back to the way it was before. You know? When all of us were close? It just feels so different now."  
  
Koshino felt his chest constrict. The white rose signifies silent pain. Mitsui was hurting inside from all the change. Could it be him? "I don't know. I'm busy." He watched the flash of pain in Mitsui's eyes, who forced a smile.  
  
"Do try, okay, Koshino?" Mitsui turned around and headed for the table where Aya was working on. Aya had left with Ken to go shopping.  
  
Koshino spotted a yellow rose. He did not know what it meant, but took it. He tapped Mitsui on the shoulder and handed it to him. "Merry Christmas, sempai."  
  
Without another word, he left. There was something he needed to do.  
  
*  
  
Mitsui kept darting his eyes towards the yellow rose that Koshino gave him. He could not hide the smile that came to his face whenever his eyes fell upon it. It was funny how Koshino's innocent or unintended actions such as these had such an impact on him. He had been thinking about him ever since he entered the shop. He had gone to the library at quarter to seven to finish off his research. By ten, he hit the malls, searching for appropriate gifts for his friends, including the boys of the flower shop. He managed to buy decent but not very expensive gifts. He had spotted nice silk shirts, and bought Yoji a dark violet one, Aya a black one and Ken a maroon one and Omi a nice hat. As for Miyagi, he got him a nice bathrobe; Sendoh a nice set of pajamas and Koshino a sky blue knitted turtleneck - the most expensive gift of all. He always did make Koshino special.  
  
Yoji caught him staring at the yellow rose. "Mit-chan?" Mitsui scowled at the nickname. Yoji never really dropped it, knowing that it annoyed Mitsui and made him look more adorable. "Did you know that every flower has a meaning?"  
  
"It does?" Mitsui asked, forgetting about the nickname. "I thought it all meant good will, like love or happiness, or even friendship. But every flower?"  
  
"Oh yes!" Yoji said, nodding as he picked up a dark colored iris. "For example, this iris symbolizes lies. It looks beautiful, true, but it's meaning is not. Take the yellow rose as another example." Yoji gestured to the rose Koshino had given him that was lying on the counter by the cashier, Mitsui turned to look at it, a pot of geraniums in his arms. "One would think that it means happiness or maybe luck or something like that. But it doesn't. A yellow rose signifies hidden truth and unspoken apologies."  
  
Mitsui's grip on the pot slipped, the pot crashing on the ground in an unceremonious heap, the loud crash bringing silence. Mitsui stood still, rooted to that very spot. Omi had given out a yelp, and dashed to get the broom and an empty bag. Mitsui shook his head, and forced himself to reality. "Sorry." He said, bending down to pick up the remains of the plant. "It slipped."  
  
"Mit-chan." Yoji said seriously, gaining Mitsui's attention. "When a pot of plant falls, and the pot is broken in to three pieces, it means misfortune." Yoji looked at the pot that lay in front of Mitsui. "Your pot is in three pieces. It's a bad omen."  
  
Mitsui suddenly felt numb.  
  
*  
  
Evening fell, and it was Mitsui's turn to make dinner. They had taken the time to divide the weeks during holidays such as Christmas to each person in making dinner. Lunch and breakfast was always done outside, and nobody really ate much in those two meals of the day. Dinner was probably the only thing that brought them together, despite their separate ways.  
  
It was already eleven by the time Mitsui had finished cooking. He had forgotten that it was his turn and if Miyagi hadn't knocked on his bedroom - mind you, he was very pissed when Miyagi had interrupted his studying time - he would have forgotten about dinner completely. So, as much as he hated cooking, Mitsui did it anyway. He simply made some baked pasta and some chicken and served them with cold beer. Sendoh and Miyagi said nothing, and when it became very awkward, Sendoh broke the silence.  
  
"So any plans for Christmas?" He gave everyone a smile.  
  
Mitsui took the opportunity to tell them about his 'resolution'. "Maybe we should all have Christmas dinner together on the evening before Chrismas. You know, like tradition? By midnight, we can exchange our gifts, if any!" He gave them a joking look, and they all chuckled. "It would be a good change." Mitsui stared at his glass of beer. "It's just that -" He closed his eyes for a while. "We are never together anymore."  
  
Silence fell again. "That's a brilliant idea, Mitsui-san!" Miyagi said, grinning from ear to ear. Obviously, he too must have felt the same. Even though he had a lover and was getting married soon, having friends and being with them is a totally different matter all together. "Then on Christmas morning, all four of us can go and play basketball! It would be great fun!"  
  
"I agree, love!" Sendoh said, nodding with his smile getting brighter by each passing millisecond. "We can go ice skating after that!"  
  
"And hit the carnival!" Mitsui felt his heart lightening and quickening with excitement. It all sounded too good.  
  
Dinner was forgotten as the three got engaged in to a long conversation of the things they could do together. It sounded endless, and never have they spoken together with such ease and no trouble of having to look for the right words. It felt as if they were all in high school again. In between their never-ending conversation, they ate ice cream and drank warm cocoa drinks. Cookies came in between and then chips. Time went by so quickly, that none of them knew. They just treasured their moment with each other as equal young men, tossing away all differences and their separate paths.  
  
"Does Koshino know all this?" Sendoh suddenly asked. Miyagi turned to look at Mitsui, and both waited for his reply.  
  
Mitsui did not dare meet their eyes. He turned to look at a half-empty packet of Doritos. "No. Not like the way we discussed it."  
  
"Why didn't you tell him?" Miyagi asked, noticing Mitsui discomfort and the faraway look in his midnight eyes.  
  
"How could I?" Mitsui asked. "He's so -" Mitsui quickly bit his lower lip to prevent any wrong words from coming out of his mouth.  
  
"He's so what, Mitsui-san?" Miyagi pressed on. Sendoh's hand gently landed on Miyagi's leg, an indication that he must not ask anymore.  
  
"He's so close, yet so far." Mitsui said, leaving it to that.  
  
"I understand." Sendoh said, obviously noticing the drastic change Koshino faced. He was his best friend in high school, but only till high school. Sendoh did not know the stranger now called Koshino Hiroaki. None of them did anymore. "We'll tell him together. Wouldn't that be better?"  
  
Mitsui looked up and gave Sendoh a sincere smile. "That would be good."  
  
"Oh my gosh! It's two already? We we're talking for that long?" Miyagi exclaimed, his eyes landing on the kitchen clock.  
  
"It didn't fell long at all!" Sendoh said, smiling and snatching the bag of Doritos. "Hey, I was just thinking. We discussed on what to do for Christmas. But this place needs the Christmas feeling. We haven't got a tree yet!"  
  
"There's one in my room. Packed in a box that is." Mitsui said. "We can use that!"  
  
"And candy canes and stockings!" Miyagi said happily, eyes shining. "Oh it would be like home!"  
  
Again, the three launched in to another long exciting conversation. They would cook for Christmas, all of them splitting the courses of the meal. Miyagi said that he would the appetizers, while Mitsui handled the dessert and Sendoh the main course. They debated between meat and seafood, and of course, since Sendoh was a specialist with seafood, they would have that. It sounded strange, but the idea was good. Mitsui knew how to make different flavored pies and cakes, so he would just make assorted ones. Miyagi refused to say what he would make, but did say that it would be nice. He was not much of a cook. They all agreed in baking Christmas cookies tomorrow. Studying will be put off for the next five days at least. Their minds needed the time off, so spending it together like the family way would be the best thing. The house needed cleaning up and decorating anyway, and what better way is there to accomplish them than doing it together and having fun with each other's presence?  
  
"Don' forget the mistletoes!" Sendoh said, wiggling his eyebrows.  
  
"Nobody gets to eat the cookies of the tree!" Mitsui warned. "We do that after breakfast!"  
  
"I will make breakfast on Christmas morning!" Miyagi said, raising his hand up to emphasize his point.  
  
"Oh you sure will! I know your-" Sendoh was cut off his sentence when a loud thump was heard. "What was that?"  
  
"Someone upstairs?" Miyagi suggested, though the sound irked him.  
  
"Nobody is above us, you moron!" Mitsui said annoyed. He suddenly felt very uncomfortable. He looked behind him. "It came from outside."  
  
"It must be the guys next door moving something heavy. It's Christmas. They must be trying to sneak in a big present or something." Miyagi said, shrugging, pushing away the tension in the air.  
  
"I don't know." Mitsui said. They sat in silence for a few minutes, before Mitsui's nagging feeling won over him. "I'll go have a look."  
  
The two nodded as Mitsui stood up and headed for the door. He opened it and silence met him. He stepped out when a bloody hand zoomed in front of him and landed on his shoulder. Mitsui gave out a terrified gasp. He stumbled out in the open, staggering back in to the silent hallway of their apartment away from the door.  
  
What greeted him was the sight of a very blue young man. His clothes were bloodied, but his fingers and bare toes, along with his lips and eyes were blue and numb from cold. He was dirty, sticky and wet from the snow outsides, all this mixing with blood from wounds hidden underneath crumpled and undone clothes. He was beyond recognizable. He tried to speak, but not words came out of the parted blue lips. Mitsui was covered in blood from his front. His eyes were wide in fear. He was scared, and never had this creepy fear bubbled up inside him. His heart raced, his mind blank and his breathing was rapid. The eyes of the young man in front of him rolled back, as he collapsed on Mitsui. The walls of their hallways were smeared with blood, obviously from the man's hands that used it as a support to remain standing. There was a huge puddle of blood by the stairs, in which he must have fallen, hence the loud thump they all heart. There were drops of blood that trailed from the puddle up till Mitsui's standing point, and there was a slow growing puddle around them at that current second.  
  
Mitsui shut his eyes tight and as loud as he can, screamed. His scream alerted everyone in their building - basically his two companions and the guys from the flower shop. Miyagi took a step back and fainted at the sight. Sendoh remained frozen. The guys next door threw their doors open and gasped at the sight. Mitsui began to shake his head; his limbs refusing to cooperate and did not move.  
  
"Oh god! Oh god!" Mitsui screamed louder. "No! No!" He gave out loud desperate cries for the body on top of him to be lifted. "Koshino! No! No! Oh god! No!" Mitsui's voice was already fading from his loud screams. The sight of Koshino scared him so much that he was going crazy. "  
  
Aya and Yoji, the ones with strong minds immediately snapped back to reality and picked up the body of Koshino and quickly carried it to his bedroom. Sendoh took Miyagi once the body was out of his range of sight and laid the unconscious man on the couch of their home. Ken rushed to get some sedatives, since Mitsui was literally tearing his hair out. Omi had gone to clean the blood off their stairs and walls before anyone got suspicious.  
  
"Mitsui! Calm down!" Ken hissed, taking out a syringe with clear liquid. "Hold still!" He hissed.  
  
Sendoh appeared and held Mitsui from behind, who immediately began to kick and punch, struggling like a wild and angry in the arms of the taller boy. Mitsui kicked in every direction, his bare and now bloodied feet landed on Ken's stomach, causing the young man to double back in pain and drop the syringe in to the puddle of blood.  
  
"Damnit!" Sendoh cursed. "Mitsui-san, stop it!" He hissed, but Mitsui would not hear any of it. His pupils were dilated and all he saw was blood and Koshino. Mitsui became more hysteric when the sight of Koshino plagued his mind.  
  
Aya appeared at the doorway and with a side-hand chop, knocked Mitsui out, his figure slumping in Sendoh's arm. "Come. Help me carry him." Aya coldly said, but his voice hid worries. Sendoh nodded and helped Aya carry Mitsui's unconscious form next door. Aya turned the lights on in his bedroom, and stripped Mitsui off his clothes. "Do you know any doctor that can come in this late hour?" Aya asked, as he took out a damp white towel and cleaned Mitsui's face from the foreign blood that clung on to it.  
  
Sendoh pondered. "Mitsui goes to this orthopedic to get his knee checked all the time." Sendoh suddenly said. He remembered seeing Dr. Hajime once.  
  
"Good!" Aya said, and wiped the blood off Mitsui's feet and arms. "Get his phone number."  
  
Sendoh nodded and rushed out to look for it in Mitsui's phonebook. He found the number easily and came out again, ignoring Ken who was carrying an armful of bloody towels from Koshino's bedroom. He gave it to Aya who had Mitsui dressed in a robe and his boxers only and tucked in to his very own bed. Aya took the cordless phone on his bedside table and punched the number in. Sendoh watched Mitsui asleep, no longer struggling. It was a shock to him. He never knew that Mitsui could act like that. Aya's voice brought him back from his thoughts.  
  
"A life of another is at stake! If you know what's best for you, you will come here right now with proper utensils!" Dr. Hajime was obviously arguing. "This is important! We can't bring him to the hospital! Just come! Here's the address!" Aya gave him the address. "Do it fast!" Aya stopped as the other side spoke. "You're Mitsui's doctor aren't you? Then you know what's good for him and his friends. So come here! Now!" Aya hung up. "Bring Miyagi here. You three stay here, until everything is fixed. Go on!"  
  
Once again, Sendoh left the florist's apartment and fetched his unconscious lover. When he returned, Aya had two mats lain on the floor beside the bed, along with pillows and blankets. There was no need for words. Sendoh lay Miyagi on one side of the mat and covered him the blanket. He then closed the door of the room, leaving the two unconscious friend and lover in their dreamless sleep. He went in to the hallway and helped Omi clean the blood. He was not yet ready to see the state of his best friend.  
  
Not just yet.  
  
*  
  
Dr. Hajime and two nurses came ten minutes later. Aya led him to Koshino's best friend and the doctor was baffled. He was paralyzed for a moment and did not know what to do. One of the nurse was a petite young - nurse Aori Umeda - woman with shoulder length dark hair and a thin frame, her brown eyes hidden behind specs. The other was a slightly taller woman, - nurse Yume Hotaru - who was heavy boned, had boyish cut brown hair and serious black eyes.  
  
"Fucking hell, don't just stand there!" Yoji snapped, anger visible in his green eyes.  
  
"Right!" Dr. Hajime dropped his black brief case on the table of Koshino's room and opened it, starting to sort out his things. "I need towels. Get me all the towels you have. Make it quick! Is there no heater here? It's freezing!" He took pulled on gloves. "I need more light! Close the curtains!" Yume drew the curtains. "I need this room disinfected! Especially around his body!" Aori opened another briefcase that she was carrying and took out a spray of disinfectant, quickly and heavily spraying the small room with the entire can. The smell of hospital filtrated the room.  
  
Aya appeared with all sources of light he could find, from emergency lights to camping flashlights. He brought in lamps and took their tops off, leaving only the light bulb within to be lit. The room was very bright by the time Aya had all the lights brought in. Aori, Yume and Dr. Hajime were now busy cutting off Koshino's clothes, in a very patient and slow manner, so as to avoid making his wounds worse. Yoji appeared a few minutes later, carrying an armful of towels in a range of different colors. He rushed out again and came back a few seconds later with another armful of towels.  
  
"Okay! Now I need hot water." Yoji and Aya rushed out to get hot water. They returned minutes later with two bucket full of water. "I need two empty basins! If you have extra cotton, please bring them. Other wise find me some! What I have will not be enough! I need bandages and rubbing alcohol!"  
  
"Didn't you come prepared?" Aya hissed.  
  
"If you told me that this was the situation, I would have! But you did not!" Dr. Hajime said in silent annoyance.  
  
Aya rushed out to find the things Dr. Hajime asked for. He found none. He summoned Sendoh and handed him a handful of yen bills. "Go to the twenty- four hour drugstore and buy as much cotton, bandages and rubbing alcohol as you can. Take Ken with you to help you carry the things. Hurry!"  
  
Sendoh nodded and rushed out of their building with Ken. Aya helped Omi continue scrubbing the stairs and walls clean from the blood and dirt. Yoji remained by the Doctor's side, who was now examining Koshino's body. "His left wrist is broken, along with three of its fingers. His right hand is sprained. He has five fractured ribs, a broken ankle and his two broken toes. There is a crack on his scapula, and cuts on his head, wrists, thighs and chest. His back is bruised completely. His lips were split, along with his temples and neck. Entire face is swollen and bruised. His anus is split open, and his penis is swollen and cut. His testicles needs stitches, since it has -" Dr. Hajime examined Koshino's anatomy and his lips thinned. "Bite marks." Yoji winced, trying to control his anger. Who could have done this to Koshino? "His entire body reeks with semen." He looked up at Yume and Aori. "Clean up his body, avoid the cuts."  
  
The two nurses took the towels and dipped them in to the hot water and with slow and gentle movements, but fast and accurate, they began to clean Koshino's body, wiping off the white and sticky fluid of unknown human beings and tossing the used towel in to a pile beside the bed once it was already covered and soaking in blood. The process took half an hour and by then, Ken came in to the room with two big bags of doctor's needs.  
  
"Sendoh is outside. He does not want to come in." He mumbled at Yoji and left to help Sendoh clean their building. Yoji left the room. He was no longer needed.  
  
Dr. Hajime took his syringe and filled it with antibiotics, injecting Koshino in every cut and wound on his thin body. That done, started with his head. He asked one of the nurses to turn Koshino's body to his side and the other to wipe his head with a wet towel to get rid of the dirt. He took out a cotton ball soaked in alcohol from the hospital and swabbed it over the open cut on the side of his head. He then stitched it closed and bandaged it. He then proceeded to do the same on Koshino's face. It was a ritual, wiping the blood and semen off, disinfecting it with alcohol, the bruises and cuts more visible than ever. Koshino's entire face was covered in white bandage by the time Dr. Hajime was done with it. He moved on to his neck, and cleaned the cuts, applied some ointment that he brought from the hospital and wrapped the thin neck in bandages. Next was his chest, which had deep welts on what looked like - whip and heel marks. The flesh was sunken and dark in color. Dr. Hajime had winced at the sight, but said nothing. He nursed the deep cuts and stitched them, later on attending to the light ones, and then bandaged them. Koshino's wrists came next, and they were cleaned and stitched closed, and attached to it was a metal rod, that held it straight in order for the bone to heal. It would have to do for now, until Dr. Hajime returns with proper materials.  
  
He fixed up Koshino's arms and hands, and cleaned his back, putting some ointment on the deep and colorful bruises that painted the youth's back. Next came the complicated task. He signaled the nurse to lift Koshino's legs up a bit, as he cleaned his torn entrance with disinfectant. Even though Koshino was asleep, he had injected him with anesthesia. There was a very small possibility that he might wake up, but Dr. Hajime was not taking any chances. He stitched the torn tissue together and cleaned it once more. He did the same to his penis and testicles, bandaging the stitches. Once the anatomy was done, the task was much lighter. He was extra careful with Koshino's privates since it was the most damaged part of all. He had done the same ritual on his legs, extra careful on his broken ankle.  
  
Five hours later, Dr. Hajime was done. He came out of the room, his two nurses behind him. "It's all right." He said, massaging his temples. "I'll have to come back tomorrow with the proper things. I fixed him up the best I can."  
  
Ken and Omi went inside and cleaned the room, getting rid of the bloodied towels and buckets of crimson colored water that were used. They returned back in once they discarded those things and went back to cleaning. Dr. Hajime was giving Aya and Yoji the things to do during his absence till the next evening.  
  
The five boys cleaned the apartment, and then left. Sendoh then took the opportunity to look at Koshino and wish that he hadn't.  
  
Koshino was literally in bandages. Even if his skin were exposed, he would only see either a welt or a very ugly bruise. The sight of him brought tears to his eyes. He could not bear to even look. He clenched his fists, dipping his head.  
  
"Why?" He mumbled, gritting his teeth. "Why did you do this Koshino? Why?"  
  
Now he knew why Koshino changed. Sendoh was just thinking on how Mitsui was going to take it. If the sight of Koshino drove him mad, what would happen to him if he found out the cause behind it all? Sendoh could only cover his mouth and sink on his knees, sobbing lightly. Yoji came and placed a hand on Sendoh's shoulders, as he cried. Not out of pity, but out of friend ship loss and helplessness.  
  
Why was no longer a question.  
  
TBC  
  
I know we are supposed to be happy during Christmas, but this is going on for too long. I had to bring up this scene, and I can't keep on writing about every year in two chapters. It will sound clichéd. More details, more excitement, and more drama later. Till next time! 


End file.
